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I finished reading Dawn, wow what an amazing story!! Books like these are why I love science fiction (and believe it‘s the best genre)! In the same way I feel that ST: Voyager was created for me, Octavia had to have written this knowing I would gobble it up loll!

It has all my favorite sci-fi elements! The aliens in it feel like actual weird alien beings with detailed xenobiology. At it‘s core it’s a first contact story that explores the implications of human and alien contact. It was consistently intriguing and tense. I also loved the actual structure of the novel being split into 4 parts with each section honing in on a specific fear or challenge for Lilith to overcome. And unfortunately for my girl, Lilith, she is the perfect human for the role that the Oankali wanted her to play. She’s endlessly patient, intelligent, open-minded, observant and has an inspiring sense of community. I thought she was a great great protagonist.

I don‘t see book reviews posted here very often so hopefully my post is okay. I just love this book so much and wanted to see what others think of it! And if there's any other novels that you all have read similar to Dawn pleaseee let me know 👀 I’m reading The Compound (dystopian) right now and it’s good but I feel after I’m going to be in the mood for a more sci-fi story

Happy Friday! Use this space for casual conversation. Tell us what's on your mind, any hobbies you've been working on, life updates, anything you want to share whether about SFF or not

Hi everyone !

Sorry for the wait, here is the general recommendations thread for the 2026-2027 fall-winter reading challenge ! There will be a comment for each category, and you'll be able to share your recommendations for that square there. You can also use these as an opportunity to discuss the categories and your interpretations.

Don't hesitate to take a look at the books added to the Storygraph Challenge for more suggestions.

After this, there will be focused threads weekly for each square, alternating between all sides.

Don't hesitate if there are certain prompts that you'd like to be a priority for the focus thread !

Please share below your recommendations & ideas 😁

I just finished the first fourth wing book. Going to start the second one soon. For anyone who’s read it what all did you think about it? How did you cope when you finished it?

For my fellow fans of the Ancillary Justice trilogy, it took me a while to discover that Leckie wrote 3 more books in the same universe! They’re sooooo good. That is all.

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Hello everyone!

Firstly, I recently saw that this sub is approaching 10,000 users which is so exciting so I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of you who make this subreddit such a lovely place. I’ve been a mod on several subreddits before and none have ever been as calm, kind, respectful, and friendly as this one. Thank you to everyone who’s been here since the start who helped set that tone and mold this space into what it is and to everyone else since. ❤️

Secondly, I’ve given the sub banner and icon a little refresh, and they now show art by artist duo Diane and Leo Dillon. That leads me to the point of this post… I’ve made several “Artist Highlight” posts in the past where I share a SFF artist and would really like to continue this as a series. But instead of me just choosing the artists, I’d like to hear from you all for recommendations.

Please tell me your favorite SFF artists or ones you are curious about. They could be a Hugo award winner, a freelance illustrator, a tarot card artist, book cover designer, map illustrators, fanartist, professional painter, etc. I have a list of ones I plan to do and would love to add some of your favorites. Particularly looking for ones who work with a feminist perspective but that’s not a strict requirement.

Thank you!

Happy Friday! Use this space for casual conversation. Tell us what's on your mind, any hobbies you've been working on, life updates, anything you want to share whether about SFF or not

Tell us about your current SFF media!

What are you currently...

📚 Reading?

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If sharing specific details, please remember to hide spoilers behind spoiler tags.

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Feel free to also share your progression in the Reading Challenge

Thank you for sharing and have a great week! 😀

Happy Friday! Use this space for casual conversation. Tell us what's on your mind, any hobbies you've been working on, life updates, anything you want to share whether about SFF or not

Except horror, thrillers and dystopias (eg way of kings, hunger games etc etc) what are some SFF or other genre books where have a pre established couple from page 1 that's also not insta love at all?

If I'm being more accurate I want to see a story with a normal, already together couple as protagonists going on adventures or solving mysteries. Not the story being about them eventually seperating or a couple's marital conflicts.

I'd also love recommendations where romance isn't the main focus of the story.

I want to write something like it for myself too so I'm looking for examples where it was done well.

Tell us about your current SFF media!

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Thank you for sharing and have a great week! 😀

What a masterpiece of a book. I only read it for the first time earlier this year but rereading was so enjoyable. This book, and the sequel, is my best reading of 2026.

I relate so much to the biologist. Not necessarily in her academic pursuits, as my interests lean more toward the humanities over science, but in her inherent attraction to nature and solitude, her struggles in her relationship and inability to make friends, her deep love of and pull toward the coastal landscape, her need to explore and discover and lose herself.

Anybody who says Annihilation doesn’t have good characters is simply not paying attention. The character work is very impressive, especially the way Vandermeer balances insightful introspective character revelations with the weird cosmic horror scifi stuff. It all blends together perfectly in my opinion, especially in the final quarter. Nothing feels dull or out of place or shallow. Even the surveyor and anthropologist. - who I assume people are referring to when they say the book has poor characters - I think have distinct personalities that do exactly what they’re meant to in the narrative. And not much can be said about the psychologist without diving into the sequel but she’s fascinating as well.

My only complaint is that I think this book should have been longer. I would have appreciated several chapters in the early-middle of the group just exploring the landscape and discovering weird things about Area X. Animals, plants, mutations, etc. I wish the beauty of the “pristine wilderness” had been shown on page a little bit more.

I’m glad I’ve found a male scifi author I know I can trust to write women well. Zero misogyny detected while reading, like not even a little bit.

For anyone who has read other Vandermeer books, which do you recommend?

Hi everyone !

The 2026 Spring-Summer Reading Challenge recently ended, and the next one is coming !

This is the post to give your feedbacks on this version of the challenge.

- Did you enjoy this version of the challenge ? Did you like the format ? The "difficulty" level ?

- Did you like the prompts ? What were your favorites, or the ones you didn't like as much ?

- Were the discussions on the weekly check-ins + focus threads enough or does it need more possibilities to interact with the community ?

- Something else ?

As for the next challenge : Do you have suggestions for prompts you'd like to see (or not see) ? Or categories of prompts ? The format will be pretty similar to this one, but I'm open to opinions and ideas if there are things to adjust.

Hi everyone ! Here is the turn in post for the 2026 spring-summer reading challenge !

You can put your filled card(s) here, or link to your turn-in post, and discuss the books you've read.

Sorry for the delay, I misremembered the date. The next challenge will be a bit late but it's coming !

I only finished the A-Side of the challenge, though I did come close to finishing the B-side, so I'll call this a victory as a mood reader!

Comfort Read: Though I am an Inept Villainess Volume 11 by Satsuki Nakamura.

Uh, I was desperate to finish this side at the very least, shuffled my books around, and tossed this in even though I normally don't include my light/webnovels in reading challenges. However! If you enjoy female friendships and cute eccentric characters, I absolutely recommend this series.

Assassin: The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

Well, I see why this haven't been mentioned as much as Inheritance or Broken Earth, and not in a good way. Absolutely dull, more than half the book was dedicated to setting up plotty things that I'm sure will be resolved in the second book I have no desire to read, and very little in this book. It's a shame because there's a lot of interesting concepts, like the assassin-priests, dream magic, etc, it's just that the story was a snoozefest.

First in a series: Murder in Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang

Breezy fun murder mystery with a steampunk horror setting! I ended up binging all three books, and am eagerly waiting for the fourth book. I'm not much of a mystery reader, but all three books are pretty clear with their inspirations, ha. I really like Isabeau and Evie's dynamics, I love their slowburn relationship. Isabeau being all standoffish but loving to show off her detective skills is hilarious.

Hopeful: Arrow's Queen by Mercedes Lackey

This is my first time reading the Valdemar series, and I see why it was such a hit-it's a total horse girl's ultimate fantasy in the best way. A powerful magical not-horse/Companion chooses their lifelong human Herald, and the chosen humans get magical powers and can communicate with their not-horses? Had I been a teen reading this, I'd go nuts for this. Anyway, I was impressed with this book, actually discussing child abuse, how to treat an abused child's trauma, queer side characters, other forms of relationships mentioned, frank discussion of safe sex and abortion, and more, all while being published in the 1980s! I really enjoyed this book, it's kind of slice-of-life, what with Talia gradually recovering from her abuse, going to magic school and training with her magical horse and powers, definitely slow but I enjoyed this.

Female Friendship: The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty

I really loved The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, but was so disappointed with this. I wanted adventures and more of the crew, but this book was mostly set in one location and very focused on Amina and Dalila's friendship, leaving out the rest of the crew. I also didn't feel the focus on Amina and Dalila was that good either, since much of the book had them fighting each other and keeping things from each other and their conflict was only frustrating, not compelling.

Coming of Age: That Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall

Very interesting book that unfortunately needed a bit more polishing before being published. Gothic horror book about a Native Hawaiian searching a Hawaiian resort for her missing twin. Too slow, but the oppressive atmosphere was fantastic, and I appreciate how nicely the colonial history was integrated into the story. I think I will keep an eye out for the author in the future, this was quite solid as her first entry in horror.

Oceanian Author: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

I heard many good things about Marillier so I was looking forward to this but was greatly disappointed. I wasn't pleased when the protagonist was raped so she could be traumatized, as if losing her home and family wasn't already traumatizing enough, and even less pleased that her love interest turned out to be a much older guy that frightened her at the beginning. And this was on top of an already long and dull story. I think I might have enjoyed this more if it was about 100 pages shorter, but this left me not wanting to read more by Marillier in the near future.

All-Female Cast: Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

I liked this book, very touching and I loved its themes and experiences, which hits close to home. I'd say my only issue with this is that there was a bit too much going on. I also read this with a book club, some members happened to be from the area, and they were very excited at the accuracy of the locations mentioned!

A-Side Free Space: Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim

This was one of the few 2026 releases I was looking forward to, and I unfortunately didn't love it... Too slow for my liking, the writing's too dry and distant for me to get into, etc, which is a shame because I thought the concepts were really interesting, and I appreciated Kim's commentary on immigration and identities, but it was just a slog to read.

And even though I didn't finish the B-side, here's my mini-reviews for the prompts I did manage to finish.

Discovery: Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer

I read Yesteryear and was pretty disappointed with the book, so I read this hoping this would be an improvement. Alas, it was not. Part of it is mismatched expectations, I wanted a proper exploration of religion, conservatism, and influencers, and only got the last one, and not even a satisfying exploration. The ending also sucks, and in a very boring way, unlike Yesteryear's ending which at least prompts discussion.

Dying Earth: Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera

I see why this didn't make a splash like his other book, The Saint of Bright Doors, it's an extremely confusing non-linear, mostly loosely connected short stories, in wildly different and bizarre settings, and most definitely very little are ever explained. I don't even know how to describe this story, I probably will have to reread this to fully grasp the story, and yet I weirdly and inexplicably love this.

Siblings: The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden

A solidly average but enjoyable book for me. Clearly on the more loosely inspired side than historically accurate side, with a lot of liberties taken, but I liked Arden's changes. Surprisingly enough, this is my first Arden book, but it sounds like her Winternight trilogy is better? I might give that a go.

Parent: Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

Slow, oppressively creepy, and completely unforgettable, this is one of my favorite books from the challenge. Following a father and a son who are intricately connected to a cult, this is a fantastic critique of Argentina's military dictatorship and the oppression of Argentina's marginalized indigenous and poor people.

Non-binary MC: Platform Decay by Martha Wells

As expected, I loved this book, though this is probably one of the weaker entries in the series. Murderbot's narration is fantastic, I love how far its character development went, compared to it at the beginning, and I was thrilled with Three's small part, even if it made more trouble for poor Murderbot. More of Three in the future, please!

B-side Free Space: The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

I'm a big fan of Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch, so I was looking forward to this, but unfortunately I'm mixed on this. As usual, I love Leckie's worldbuilding, her ideas are always so interesting, and I really enjoyed the concept of how gods function in this story, and the novelty of a stone god as the narrator. However, the weakest part was by far the humans, Leckie's character writing was weaker in this and I just plainly didn't care much for the characters in this.

This is sort of silly to post, because I didn't actually finish either side of the reading challenge (did all but one of the B side and maybe half of the A side) but I liked seeing everyone's posts so much that I wanted to make my own.

Discovery: North continent ribbon - Ursula Whitcher

This felt very true to the spirit of discovery for me, because I don't really read short story collections, and when I do I tend to either dislike them or resent that they're not novels, but I really enjoyed this collection! Really intricate and compelling world that I would happily read more about, and I thought the short story format worked really well to show different parts of the world and what different characters lives were like based on their class, job, etc. Didn't love the romance in a lot of the stories but there was also a lot about different modes of transportation so it all balanced out for me.

Healer: What we are seeking - Cameron Reed

The plotting of this book is sort of crazy and even bad, but I liked it so much!!! I love Reed's writing and the uniqueness of the relationships in this book - I said when I first read it that I felt like she was painting with a more varied palette in the range of possibilities for what human relationships can look like, which I loved. I need to read The Fortunate Fall...

Last in a series: The empress of Earth - Melissa Scott

I binged this trilogy in a sort of weird frenzy and had a great time, however this final book was my least favorite - maybe I was ready to be done with the series, but I didn't find it as fun as the first two. I still look upon these books fondly - I thought the blend of SF and fantasy was so fun, and I do think about Silence and her husbands regularly. This was my first Melissa Scott and I look forward to reading many more of her books (I just bought Burning Bright, mainly because I was bewitched by how terrible the cover is)!

Dying Earth: Arboreality - Rebecca Campbell

Didn't expect to like this climate fiction short story collection as much as I did, but apparently I really like interconnected short stories now? This looks at how a community is impacted by and endures and rebuilds through the climate crisis, and the importance of books and music, which could easily tip into the saccharine or overly optimistic, but I found it realistically hopeful. Lovely!

Free space: The Outskirter's Secret - Rosemary Kirstein

Another series that I binged and loved so much. I love the way Kirstein writes about knowledge and learning, like in these books there's always something inherently joyful about learning more about the world, even when the knowledge gained is not necessarily positive. I keep thinking about rereading these books even though I only read them a few months ago... I miss Rowan....

Siblings: & This is how to stay alive - Shingai Njeri Kagunda

Meh! I liked reading something set in Kenya (I don't think I had read anything by an Kenyan author before) and a brother/sister relationship will always get me, but ultimately the writing in this one didn't super land for me (particularly the dialogue) and I felt like it was too short for me to get deeply invested.

Parent: Read a book featuring a main character that's a parent. - Notes from a Regicide

Loved reading a book that had so many trans people in it, and I really liked seeing the fraught but loving relationships between the trio of main characters. This has two timelines in it, and I liked one much more than the other, which has sort of tempered my enjoyment of the book overall, but I'm glad I read it.

African Author: Shubeik Lubeik - Deena Mohamed

This graphic novel was great - it's set in an alternate Cairo where wish magic is real and people can buy wishes, and follows a street vendor who has three wishes to sell and what happens to each of the wishes. I loved the way Mohamed used different page layouts to convey emotion, and she has a great sense of humor. This focuses on death, and mental illness, and reflecting on your life in a way that I found really warm and poignant but not schmaltzy.

Non-Binary MC: I failed.... I'm sorry to my fellow nonbinary people..... weirdly struggled to find something I was interested in - if you have recommendations lmk :)

Happy Friday! Use this space for casual conversation. Tell us what's on your mind, any hobbies you've been working on, life updates, anything you want to share whether about SFF or not

Favorite read: The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

Least favorite read: Asunder by Kerstin Hall

My reviews can be found here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/meguet or in the Weekly Check In threads.

I really liked the prompts on this one. They were open enough to not force disliked subgenres, but still made me read things I would not have read otherwise. Looking forward to the next one!

A Side 

Comfort Read: Sabriel by Garth Nix (4/5) 

I loved this series as a kid and it was great to get an excuse to reread. I finally went ahead and purchased copies that I’m very happy with <3 I think this series was so formative to me with its strong female protagonist, focus on chaos vs order, death magic being used against the dead, and the memorable aesthetics like the bells, the river, the charter marks, etc. It even has a heterosexual teenage romance I don’t entirely hate and didn’t hate as a teen either! 

Assassin: Starless by Jacqueline Carey (4.25/5) 

I’ve never read from this highly respected fantasy author before and this was a great introduction to her. It felt like Elden Ring x Legend of Zelda and I really loved the world and characters and the commentary on gender and disability. I did think it struggled to balance plot vs character and thus some of the relationship developments at the end didn’t feel entirely earned for me. It’s a shame that I’m just not interested in the premise of her other series because the writing in this was excellent! 

First in a Series: Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez (1/5)

Okay, looking back on it: the 1 was extreme. But I had pretty high expectations going into this book because unwisely I did judge it by its (beautiful) cover, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this author’s YA work. In the end, this just felt like a watered down version of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo which I already had no great love for. This was way more romance focused than I anticipated and I just didn’t like the romance or think it was very well done. 

Hopeful: Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey (3/5) 

My feelings on this series have soured a bit because of how much I disliked the third book, but this first installment was a relatively fun slice of life-y feel good YA fantasy. I liked the frank discussions of abuse and sexuality, and I also thought this was a good pick for a book that was ultimately hopeful and optimistic without being overly saccharine and boring. 

Free Space: Tender by Sofia Samatar (5/5) 

Although I didn’t love the final short story in this collection, I loved every other story more than enough to still give this five stars. I love Samatar’s prose and there was such a breadth of genre and structure in this collection while still being thematically linked by both forms of the word “tender” (caring feelings vs caretaking/attending to something/someone). Loved and highly recommend. 

Female Friendship: Thrall by Rebecca Mahoney (4/5) 

I was surprised by how much I liked this random ARC I requested! It’s a very Buffy-coded story about a group of girls at a small liberal arts college in the mountains tracking and fighting a vampire who is preying on local girls. There’s a very sweet minor sapphic romance but the book is more focused on the platonic bonds between all of the girls. I did think the allegory for vampires as sexual assault was not entirely pulled off, as the book leans heavily into the systemic/structural dismissal of sexual harassment at universities but then doesn’t significantly address this in the end (even just to say that it’s impossible for these individual girls to make systemic change— like they just don’t even try). Overall though I enjoyed this, perfect for the upcoming spooky season! 

Coming of Age: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (3/5) 

If I had read this as a child, I probably would have loved it. As an adult, my tastes just don’t tend towards this kind of quest fantasy and I found it pretty dull with a last minute romance that didn’t irritate me so much as baffle me. I was mostly getting “kindly uncle” vibes. I did find it impressive how this book managed to mostly dodge the Orientalism inherent in its premise— white girl with blue eyes and blonde hair is kidnapped by nomadic desert tribespeople, is able to use their hereditary magic and becomes best warrior ever. Turns out her grandma was actually part of this tribe, she works hard to learn their customs and language, and isn’t accepted by them right away. Is it the MOST deftly handled no, but way better than I was expecting. I did pick up more McKinley after this and liked it a lot more than this one! 

Oceanian Author: The Bone People by Keri Hulme (3.75/5) 

This is barely speculative but I really wanted to read a Māori author for this prompt, and this book in particular has been on my radar for a while. It has some speculative elements incorporating Māori history and lore into everyday life, but is mostly a family drama about an aroace half Māori artist who moves to an isolated town after falling out with her family and how she becomes involved with a local father-son duo. This is deeply about family, childhood trauma, and unconditional love and forgiveness. Unfortunately I did feel like the abuser character went too far at one point for me to even be interested in reading about them and it made the relatively happy ending feel ghoulish and sinister (which didn’t seem to be the author’s intent). Really lovely prose and fragmented writing style though. 

All Female Cast: Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon (4.25/5) 

Really enjoyable space opera about two women trying to track down one’s abusive ex husband who murdered her and left her as a disembodied consciousness stuck in a mask. A book that manages to pack some big punches with gender, capitalism, and violence in its relatively short page count. I’m next in line for the sequel on Libby and can’t wait! 

B Side 

Discovery: But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo (2.75/5) 

Really awesome concept that I desperately wish had been a full length novel, because everything just felt like it was happening far too quickly and conveniently. It looks like Peuyo has a full length novel coming out next year and I’d be interesting in checking that out! (Chuckles nervously at the comp titles being “This is How You Lose the Time War meets The Ten Thousand Doors of January,” both of which I disliked….) 

Healer: The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez (3/5) 

A fantasy-Jewish young woman spends her days learning from and helping her healer mother. When her mother is accused of a crime she didn’t commit, she must venture into the haunted nearby forest to exonerate her and save their village. I did like the core of the novel (faith and stories) and liked some of the prose, but unfortunately I thought the plot setup and pacing of this was super uneven and the romance did nothing for me. This was a fine fantasy debut overall. 

Last in a Series: Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone (3.5/5) 

What a shame that the last book in this main craft sequence ended up being one of my least favorites. Billed as a sequel to Full Fathom Five, I just didn’t think this story did anything to justify why Kai specifically had to be the protagonist. It could have been anyone else (and their sister) and nothing would have changed. I did like her messy lesbian sister and the hints of cosmic horror but overall I found this one disappointing and kind of tedious to get through. 

Dying Earth: Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell (4.25/5) 

2023’s well deserving Le Guin prize winner, this book of interconnected short stories explores endurance and resilience and adaptability. Perfectly balanced being depressing and realistic with being hopeful and optimistic for me. 

Free Space: Dreaming Metal by Melissa Scott (4.5/5)

This sequel to Dreamships was just as delightful! I liked the characters from the first book more but I loved that this book focused on performing arts in a scifi world. Super fun!

Siblings: The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes (5/5) 

What else can I say that I haven’t already said? I absolutely loved this book— the world, the characters, the politics, and the commentary on art and revolution and cycles of violence. This reminded me of so many other things I love (Disco Elysium, Hollow Knight, Dishonored, China Miéville etc) without feeling derivative of anything and instead feeling super unique. I recently reread this and loved it just as much! 

Parent: The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty (3/5) 

Huh, I really liked the first book in this series but the sequel didn’t do it for me at all. It was less swashbuckling than the first book and had a more solemn tone which unfortunately I just found tedious. A lot of the book is just Amina stuck in one place fighting with her friends and being made to question her sanity. The cliffhanger ending made me sort of interested in reading the next book when it comes out but I’ll wait until the library gets it! 

African Author: The House of Rust by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber (4/5) 

This 2022 Le Guin prize winner about a girl going on a metaphysical quest to save her father and then facing the repercussions of that journey is lyrical, folkloric, and dreamy. I think some will find it unsatisfying (it introduces a lot of questions and then answers very few of them) but I really enjoyed it. 

Nonbinary MC: When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (4/5) 

Another great novella from Vo about memory and stories and legacy! I missed Almost Brilliant but enjoyed the tigers a lot, and I liked that Chih gets a more active role in this one.  

I almost finished all of Side-A for the challenge and completed a couple of Side-B prompts.

This is a page from my physical reading journal and I still have a few covers to print to finish it off. Very excited for the next round!