Yes, there are a few of us who really do enjoy this genre but for the most part the majority of our group doesn’t care so much for Science Fiction. Why? I’m not sure. If you really think about it, these books are written by extraordinarily creative people, who also have some degree of scientific knowledge on which they build their premise, and they offer some of the thought-provoking story lines. Where else would you be able to find a discussion of Darwinism as a means of alien lifeform destruction? Or future worlds where human experimentation has left us without free air, genetic mutations preventing reproduction, and even vampirism? How do you work in the science, the character creation, and action scenes, all in one plausible plot? I think that’s amazing! So, good job Sci-Fi authors! (Now aren’t you curious to see what everyone had to say about their books?!)

Chris: Farthing by Jo Walton is the traditional English country mystery with the addition of alternate history. It opens with the British upper class coming to spend a weekend at Farthing’s country house. One of the daughter’s, Lucy, is bringing her new husband David Kahn. David, being Jewish, is not really welcome and the couple even wonders why they were invited. Odder still, the first evening one of the house guests, Sir James Thirkie, is murdered and left with a Star of David pinned to his chest. Did the family just want to pin the murder on Kahn? Or did he actually do it? Or maybe it was a political enemy of Thirkie since he was instrumental in bringing about the 1941 peace with Hitler and Germany? Or maybe it was Thirkie’s wife? Follow Inspector Carmichael’s search for the murderer and discover much, much more.

Steve: A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick, is a bit of a mindbender. Written in 1977, it takes place in the near future, 1994. Undercover agent Fred infiltrates a group of druggies, with his eye on the leader Bob Arctor. While under cover, Fred develops a huge drug addiction to the drug of choice, Substance D. Fred, as an undercover agent, returns daily to the police station to watch undercover footage, via holographic cameras, of the drug house. In the future, all undercover agents wear a scramble suit, which blurs the wearer’s physical identity so other cops in the station can’t identify Fred as a narc. Soon though psychologists in the police department notice Fred exhibiting signs of Substance D abuse and begin to piece together coincidences between Fred and Bob. This story can be hard to wrap your mind around, and wanders at a slow rate, but in the end is worth it if you are looking for something different.

Carol: Told in snippets of gathered intelligence found by Cormac Wallace, a leader of the human resistance, Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson is a science fiction thriller, set in the near future, that tells the history of a war between robots and humans. From the time just before the robot uprising, to “Zero Hour,” when all robots attack, and to almost 3 years afterwards, this book follows the struggles of a small group of heroes all over the world who rise against the machines. As scary as early Stephen King, this book contains truly horrifying moments as a virus, spread by the powerful Artificial Intelligence that calls itself Archos, systematically takes over robotics all over the world. Archos, who uses a little boy’s voice to communicate with humans pits other robots against humankind because he thinks that humans evolved in order to create something better—him, and since now that they’ve done this, their time is up. First, machines begin to act up, like the little girl’s doll that comes life and threatens the welfare of her family, but soon it’s bad enough that personal assistant robots are straight up murdering their human owners. Soon machines start herding people into work camps in order to build stronger, better, smarter killing machines. Lucky for us, humans don’t give up so easily in this action and suspense packed read! Steven Spielberg is making this into a movie next year and I, for one, will be seeing it! Word of warning: Robopocalypse might just make you question your reliance on electronics. I highly recommend this bloody sci-fi read to fans of the genre, and in particular, fans of the Terminator films.

Emma: Sometime in the future it is illegal to own books according to Fahrenheit 451. Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to burn books, is secretly hoarding a few in his house. Montag is greatly disturbed when a lady refuses to leave her books and her house and burns to death after igniting the fire herself. Mildred, Montag’s wife, is only interested in her television “family” who occupy three walls of their living room. After Montag reads poetry to Mildred and her friends, Mildred turns her husband in to authorities and he is forced to burn his own books and home. Montag then turns the flamethrower on Captain Beatty killing him. A runaway murderer, Montag ends up with professors, authors, and clergymen considered dangerous to society living along deserted train tracks. Each has memorized books hoping to be allowed to write them down one day. Written in nine days by Ray Bradbury, the book originally appeared in the second, third, and fourth issues of Playboy magazine after being paid $400 for the story.

Dori: I read The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers, an Arthur C. Clarke award-winner set in the not-so-distant future when a virus strikes, killing women who become pregnant and thus ensuring the end of humanity. 16-year-old Jessie is, at first, not concerned about the virus, but as life becomes more uncertain, and friends and relatives affected, she begins to look for purpose and meaning in the chaos. When her father, a scientist, tells her about a research program enlisting young woman as volunteers to become incubators for frozen embryos, Jessie feels like she’s found something within her power to do, the ultimate sacrifice for the future of humanity. This bleak and harrowing novel addresses a variety of social themes within a coming of age story.

Rosemary: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is one of my all-time favorite books. High school student Meg Murry‘s physicist father has been missing for a year, when, on a stormy evening, a strange woman appears at her home. Mrs. Whatsit convinces the Murry’s that their father can be rescued from the world in which he is being held captive. She will help Meg, Charles Wallace Murry, and Calvin O’Keefe, a friend of Meg’s, travel through a tesseract, or a wrinkle in time, to save Mr. Murry. There are many positive themes in this story of good vs. evil, but the most compelling one is the awesome power of love. The library has added to our collection the graphic novel of this book just published in 2012. I can hardly wait to see this version of the enduring classic.

Megan: Breathe by Sarah Crossan is the first in a new science fiction series for teens. In the future there are no trees and the earth’s atmosphere is so depleted of oxygen that the air is unbreathable. Fortunately for humanity the Breathe Corporation devised a method for manufacturing oxygen. People now live in a safe pod where they can purchase the oxygen they need. When Bea and her best friend Quinn leave the pod for a camping trip in the Outland, they make a startling discovery that will change their lives forever. This exciting series opener reads like a futuristic The Lorax for teens. Plenty of twists and turns and startling surprises will keep readers guessing until the end and eager for more.

Ann: The Twelve by Justin Cronin continues the story which began with The Passage. It is now 97 A.V. (after the virus created by a government experiment gone horribly wrong has turned many humans into vampire-like beings). A large group of survivors has created somewhat safe colonies in Texas. But there are other survivors in Iowa who are controlled by the darker side of this new “humanity.” A young woman named Amy was part of the original experiment. She survives as a woman who barely ages and who possesses super-human powers. Amy, along with her friends who fight for good, is determined to defeat both the dictator-like controller in Iowa and the Twelve (the original carriers of the virus). An exciting part two in a projected trilogy by Cronin.

Stacey: War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells could arguably be one of the first Steampunk novels -ever! Mr. Wells created a world where Martian machines and high-tech weaponry arrived on Earth to fight against the cavalry and foot soldiers of late Victorian England. An unnamed narrator is on the frontlines for key moments: from seeing strange flares on the planet Mars, to the metal cylinders that landed near his home, to the epic battle between man and machine, to the final conclusion, and tells readers of his experience. After centuries of being in publication, you might think this book would be dry or dull. You’d be wrong! It’s full-on creepy, and spooky, and great! After reading this book, it’s easy to see why Orson Wells chose this for his epic October 30th radio broadcast and why it’s been the genesis of so many other books and films.

Next time? We celebrate the Winter Holidays! Find a Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve book, and you’ll be reading right along with us! Enjoy!

— Stacey

If I had known then, what I know now? Well then, it would have made the perfect start to a science fiction book –and that would have made it perfect for our recent genre book discussion! Science fiction books are generally based on current thinking about the world around us, from politics to the social sciences to hard science, and then the author will alter something in that known world to become –an unknown future. If you’re an inventive dreamer, this genre could be just the right fit for you! Maybe you’d like to see what everyone wrote about their selection?

Megan: White Cat by Holly Black is about Cassel Sharpe, the black sheep in his family. Not only is he not a curse worker, a person who has the supernatural ability to manipulate people’s emotions, luck, and memory, he is a murderer. He has spent three years trying to forget the night he killed his friend Lila. When nightmares and sleepwalking plague his nights he is kicked out of his boarding school and sent to live with his brother. Here he begins to uncover dangerous family secrets and unravel the mystery of Lila’s death. This supernatural thriller is full of danger, mystery and suspense.

Rosemary: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan is the second book in the Ranger’s Apprentice fantasy series. Will is a Ranger in training for the Kingdom of Araluen. He is apprenticed to Halt, a highly respected Ranger who has become Will’s mentor. When Will and his friend Horace are sent on a mission to a nearby village, they find a ghost town, instead of the bustling village they expected. Where have all the villagers gone? Will begins to suspect that the murderous Morgarath is behind the devastation. If this is true, Will and Horace are in for the battle of their lives. The Burning Bridge is another excellent addition to the series. Readers will find Will’s courage and intelligence very appealing. The book, of course, has a cliffhanger ending, which will make readers rush for the next installment.

Janet: Life As We Knew It by young adult author Susan Beth Pfeffer is the first book of a trilogy. The book opens with the introduction of one family and their daily routines. They, along with the rest of the world are anticipating the collision of a large asteroid with the earth’s moon. The collision knocks the moon out of its normal orbit, which is an unexpected turn of events. Starting with twenty- feet- high tsunamis buffeting our eastern seacoast planet earth is changed forever. Survival becomes the name of the game. Our family of four (Mom, Matt, Miranda and Jonny) and neighbor Mrs. Nesbitt work together to help each other in the months that follow. The book is presented in a journal format that is written by Miranda. Life becomes challenging and at times harrowing. The author’s story is quite engrossing. There are many twists and turns and a day-to-day expediency which makes this book a suspenseful story.

Carol: The Clone Codes by Pat, Fred, and John McKissack is set in 2170, a future where humans are ‘firsts’ and clones and cyborgs are known as ‘seconds.’ Clones have been created (with human dna) to do jobs humans don’t want to do. Seconds have no rights and are not treated as humans. 13-year-old Leanna believes this, but things change when her mother is arrested for treason, for fighting for clone rights. When Leanna learns that she is actually a clone, even her friends now want her arrested. This slim novel is the first in a trilogy. Hand this fast-paced, suspenseful read to a young teen or reluctant reader.

Emma: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is the story of Kivrin, a time-traveling Oxford history student in 2048. She expects to travel back to 1320 but ends up in the path of the Black Plague in 1348. Kivrin lives with and nurses the members of a local family who all eventually succumb to the disease. In 21st century Oxford, the community is dealing with another epidemic which hinders the return of Kivrin to present time. Eventually her university tutor arrives from the future and takes Kivrin back home as she is burying the final victim in the small village.
Julie: You might normally skip a novel written by a leading theoretical physicist, but Icarus at the Edge of Time is worth it. Brian Greene transforms the Greek myth into an quick introduction to relativity and black holes with all the drama of the original story and pictures from the Hubble telescope as illustrations.

Ann: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Miranda’s journal starts the way any teenager’s journal might (talking about school, boys, friends), but then an asteroid hits the moon and knocks it askew and closer to Earth. Miranda’s journal becomes a chronicle of survival. Horrible things happen- tsunamis destroy the coastal areas, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions cause major climate changes. As Miranda’s family copes, little by little everything changes, and life as we knew it ceases. This is a compelling and down to earth, but often bleak story. It makes you want to get a storehouse of supplies ready in case of disaster. The Booklist review sums it up- “each page is filled with events both wearying and terrifying and infused with honest emotions.”

Dori: Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. This science fiction thriller, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award, stars Zinzi December, ex-journalist, ex-junkie, ex-prisoner. After the death of her brother, Zinzi becomes a ‘zoo’, marked for her crime by an animal companion, a magical skill and a home with the rest of the ‘zoos’ in a violent slum of Johannesburg. Zinzi’s got a sloth slung on her back, a sarcastic wit and a talent for finding lost items. Desperate for cash, she takes a job finding a lost person and ends up entangled with a reclusive record producer and a pair of ‘animalled’ con men. This is a page turning, gritty, fascinating look at a world that parallels our own.

Stacey: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld is one awesomely inventive, Steampunk book. The first of a trilogy, this title introduces the main characters, the alternate version of our world that they live in, and builds to a big action sequence at the end of the novel, making a great cliffhanger for Behemoth, the second of the trilogy. The Archduke of Austria and his wife are murdered, which forces their son Alek to run for his life. Alek comes from a Clanker, mechanically dedicated, country but finds he must hide with an English airship crew; England being a Darwinist or genetically engineered species dependent country. Can such diametrically opposed groups find a middle ground?

Our next discussion will feature literary fiction or books that are viewed as “high quality” or “prize-winning” titles that can be experimental, but should still create a thoughtful, thought-provoking interaction between book and reader. I wonder what everyone will pick?

— Stacey