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Science Fiction Collection

This guide spotlights circulating Science Fiction texts at City Tech Library.

Introduction

Below is a selection of science fiction books at City Tech Library. We have highlighted physical books in our collection that you can check out. City Tech also has numerous e-books. To find more books and e-books, use our library catalog to explore with the following subject headings:

On this page, you will find:

  1. Quick Recommendations
  2. Books by topic (post-apocalyptic, dystopia, space opera, science fantasy, cyberpunk, time travel, artificial intelligence, LGBTQ+, graphic novels, young adult, short stories, books in Spanish, classics)
  3. Books by author (Isaac Asimov, Margaret Atwood, Octavia Butler, Arthur C. Clarke, Samuel R. Delany, William Gibson, Ursula K. Le Quin, Kurt Vonnegut, H.G. Wells)
  4. Anthologies (short stories, contemporary, historical)

Quick Recommendations

Short stories, queer, genre-defying, relationships, poetic

Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel cover

Classic, interstellar empire, religion, adventurous

Dune cover

Artificial friends, sentimental, literary fiction

Klara and the sun cover

Telepathy, mutants, power, war, family

Patternmaster cover

Classic, alien invasion, horror, thrilling

The War of the Worlds cover

Necromancy, fantasy, humorous, gothic, LGBTQ+

Gideon the Ninth cover

Totalitarian government, classic, dystopian, satire

1984 cover

Time travel, World War II, romance, historical fiction

Blackout cover

Post-apocalyptic theater troupe, elegiac, tender

Station Eleven cover

Graphic novel, fantastical creatures, cute

The Cryptid Club cover

Young adult, authoritarian government, dystopian

The darkest minds cover

Space opera, AI, revenge, sprawling, LGBTQ+

Ancillary justice cover

Books by Genre/Topic

Post-apocalyptic fiction is a genre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization has collapsed. "The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronomical, an impact event; destructive, nuclear holocaust or resource depletion; medical, a pandemic, whether natural or human-caused; end time, such as the Last Judgment, Second Coming or Ragnarök; or any other scenario in which the outcome is apocalyptic, such as a zombie apocalypse, AI takeover, technological singularity, dysgenics or alien invasion" (Wikipedia, "Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction")

Dystopian fiction explores extreme forms of social and political structures by portraying a setting or society that completely disagrees with the author's ethos. These societies may be characterized by mass poverty, public mistrust and suspicion, a police state or oppression, government surveillance, restricted freedoms, and more.

Space opera is a "subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and social advancements (or lack thereof) in faster-than-light travel, futuristic weapons, and sophisticated technology, on a backdrop of galactic empires and interstellar wars with fictional aliens, often in fictional galaxies" (Wikipedia, "Space Opera"). The term originated not from opera music but from the melodramatic and formulaic stories of operas including soap operas. Star Wars, Dune, and Star Trek are popular examples of space operas.

Science fantasy is a hybrid genre that combines elements from science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as grounded by the laws of nature while fantasy stories contain supernatural elements that do not obey scientific laws Science fantasy combines these two premises.

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech" (Wikipedia, "Cyberpunk"). It often depicts futuristic technology alongside societal collapse, poverty, dystopia or decay. In 1984, William Gibson's influential novel Neuromancer helped solidify cyberpunk as a genre, drawing influence from punk subculture and early hacker culture. Examples of cyberpunk films include Blade Runner (1982), The Matrix (1999), and Ghost in the Shell (2017).

Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling to the past or future. It is usually accomplished through a time machine, the idea of which was popularized by H. G. Wells's 1895 novel The Time Machine.

Artificial intelligence is a recurrent theme in science fiction. The idea of machines with human-like intelligence dates back to Samuel Butler's 1872 novel Erewhon. Since then, many science fiction stories have presented different effects of creating such intelligences, often involving rebellions by robots. Among the best known of these are Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), R2-D2 from Star Wars (1977), and WALL-E (2008).

Science fiction had emerged as a genre prime for exploring LGBTQ themes, experiences, and relationships. Though SF had traditionally been aimed at a male readership, speculative fiction also gives authors and readers the freedom to imagine societies that are different from real-life cultures. Thus, SF is a useful medium for examining sexual bias and heteronormativity.

We also have Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Books by Author

Isaac AsimovIsaac Asimov (1920–92) was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers (with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke). He is most famous for his Robot Series which served as the basis for the 2004 film I, Robot starring Will Smith.

Margaret AtwoodMargaret Atwood (b.1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic and an inventor. Her work highlights themes of gender, identity, religion, myth, the power of language, climate change, and "power politics." She is best known for her 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale which was adapted into a television show.

 


Octavia ButlerOctavia Butler (1947–2006) was an American science fiction writer who won Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards for her work. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. Her work combines science fiction and African American spirituality and engages themes of alternative community, afrofuturism, non-human/hybrid beings, and critiques of social structures.

Arthur C ClarkeArthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television host. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is considered one of the most influential films of all time. Clarke's writings and support of space travel earned him the moniker "Prophet of the Space Age". For many years Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction.

Samuel R DelanySamuel R. Delany (b.1942) is a writer and literary critic known for his science fiction writing. His work, which has earned him four Nebula and two Hugo awards, engages themes of sexuality, race, identity, and power. Delany was born and raised in Harlem and briefly attended CCNY. 

William GibsonWilliam Gibson (b.1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer credited with inventing the SF subgenre known as cyberpunk. He coined the term "cyberspace" in "Burning Chrome" (1982), and later popularized the concept in his debut novel Neuromancer (1984). In 1999, The Guardian described Gibson as "probably the most important novelist of the past two decades."

Ursule K Le GuinUrsula K. Le Guin (1929 – 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction. Le Guin won Hugo and Nebula awards for The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), making her the first woman to do so. Le Guin was influenced by cultural anthropology, Taoism, feminism, and Carl Jung. Her works often utilized themes of race, gender, sexuality, political structure, and coming of age.

Fantasy by Le Guin:

Kurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut (1922 – 2007) was an American author known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Vonnegut enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 21. He studied mechanical engineering before being deployed to Europe to fight in World War II and was captured by the Germans. He was interned in Dresden, where he survived the Allied bombing of the city in a meat locker of the slaughterhouse where he was imprisoned. Vonnegut is most well-known for his sixth novel, Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) which resonated with readers during the Vietnam War.

H.G. WellsHerbert George (H.G.) Wells (1866 – 1946) was an English writer who wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. Wells' science fiction novels are so well regarded that he has been called the "father of science fiction." Wells identified as a "futurist" and wrote a number of utopian works. His writing foresaw the invention of aircraft, tanks, space travel, nuclear weapons, satellite television, and the internet.

Anthologies