Science fiction literature originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with pioneering writers such as H.G. Wells (“The Time Machine,” “The War of the Worlds”) and Jules Verne, whose imaginative narratives used speculative technology to explore social and ethical issues.

This foundational period set the stage for the Golden Age (1930s–1950s), dominated by authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert A. Heinlein.

The Golden Age celebrated scientific progress and space exploration, often emphasizing optimism about humanity’s future while raising ethical questions about technology’s impact.

Canonical works from this era include Asimov’s “Foundation” series and Clarke’s “Childhood’s End,” which remain essential reading for their influence on the genre.

The 1960s and 1970s ushered in the New Wave movement, which challenged earlier conventions by incorporating literary experimentation and addressing deeper psychological, social, and political dimensions such as gender, race, and environmental concerns.

Leading figures included Ursula K. Le Guin, whose novel “The Left Hand of Darkness” remains a landmark for its complex treatment of gender and society, and Samuel R. Delany, known for his nuanced portrayals of sexuality and identity.

This period expanded science fiction’s possibilities beyond technological speculation into multifaceted human experience.

In the 1980s, cyberpunk emerged as a gritty, tech-informed subgenre spotlighting dystopian futures, information technology, and counter-culture.

William Gibson’s “Neuromancer” epitomizes this era, influencing countless narratives centered on hacking, virtual reality, and corporatized societies.

Contemporary science fiction is richly diverse, influenced by global perspectives and voices historically marginalized in the genre.

Authors like Octavia E. Butler and N.K. Jemisin—a dominant voice with her “Broken Earth” trilogy—have deepened explorations of race, identity, and systemic power.

Science fiction literature originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with pioneering writers such as H.G. Wells (“The Time Machine,” “The War of the Worlds”) and Jules Verne, whose imaginative narratives used speculative technology to explore social and ethical issues.

Title:

Content: The novel is a cure for scientific infiltration.
Novelist art of the last three decades of the twentieth century and the beginning of the present century is perhaps one of the most important tools for the dissemination of scientific knowledge and making it part of the general culture, as it has significantly reduced the gap between the scientific fiction and scientific applications in the field, through interesting stories and interesting characters.
Scientists can reach a wider audience and simplify complex ideas, which contributes to the promotion of scientific awareness and inspiration among readers; the integration of science with literature is not just an intellectual luxury, but a necessity for effective communication between scientists and society, especially as physical discoveries have become more confusing and fascinating than the most imaginative scientific novels.
When we read according to preconceived expectations, we marginalize the element of surprise with all its uncalculated potential, which may lead us to wonder and pleasure.
The use of the novel in the dissemination of science is not a new innovation, as literary stories throughout the ages have been an effective means of transmitting knowledge and values. Every sober novel must be a medium of knowledge, and therefore it undoubtedly requires a writer passionate about knowledge to touch a chord in the heart and mind of the reader. To achieve this, the reader must be engaged in learning.
But in modern times, with the increasing complexity of scientific theories and technology as a means of dealing with epistemological lava, epistemological narratives are no longer just lavish, but an urgent need and a simplistic tool that allows audiences to understand this knowledge more deeply.
To think of scientific novels as mere science fiction involves a great deal of predilection and prejudice, and I think it is more correct to describe them as an epistemological novel that satisfies in a fictional framework, and this can be seen by examining the dramatic and attractive survey that marked most of them.
With the proliferation of international novels and their drinkers, selective reading was inevitable; after all, we wouldn ’ t be able to read every recent edition.
Here comes the subjective approach; some are satisfied with the translator into Arabic, because there is no way for him to read another language, some read novels based on previous compliments of prominent critics and known for the excellence of their literary industry, others follow novels for their popularity and popularity, and there are readers who follow certain names for their knowledge of the creativity in their novels, and I think myself of the latter category. Although I sometimes tend to take the opinion of the first category, I think that when we read according to preconceived expectations, we marginalize the element of surprise with all its uncalculated potential, which may cause us to wonder and enjoy.
In Alice in Quantum Country, Robert Gilmar takes the reader on a journey through the world of quantum mechanics, in ways that draw the reader into the depths of this mysterious and complex field.
Gilmar uses a simple narrative style, with illustrations and famous experiences
I follow the work of Dan Brown and José Rodríguez dos Santos with great passion, and I make sure that I do not miss any of their work, and I think it is a wonderful experience that their novels and the works of other novelists who have taken it upon themselves to convey scientific ideas and concepts to a wide audience in an interesting and easy to understand way, especially by making them freely available to readers on the Internet. A large number of readers are paying to read it, and to see the most distinctive and unusual scientific investigations of our time.
By this I mean “particle physics ”, which is one of the most prominent sciences of the modern era, led by the Center for Nuclear Research in Switzerland (CERN), and the unprecedented revolution of communication, informatics and electronic applications, nano-engineering, and the science of industrially created materials; as well as“ quantum mechanics ”, which led to a revolutionary turn in science, thought and philosophy.
These are some of the most exciting and complex fields of science.
Thanks to their storytelling style, writers have been able to present these topics in a way that non-specialist readers can understand and enjoy, and keep up with the explosive stream of information generated daily; in Alice in Quantum Land, Robert Gilmar takes the reader on a journey through the world of quantum mechanics, in ways that draw the reader to the depths of this mysterious and complex field.
Through illustrative examples and famous experiments, such as the double-slit experiment and the Schrödinger cat experiment, Gilmar explains how qubits and quantum entanglement can be the foundations of new quantum computing, simplifying complex scientific concepts and making them accessible to everyone.
Dan Brown introduces elements of particle physics and electronic engineering into his novels, as shown in The Lost Symbol and The Origin.
It mixes scientific facts with literary fiction, creating interesting worlds.
The book is not just a theoretical exposition, it is a fictional journey into the quantum world, involving chapters with dramatic titles that rob the passionate reader: Into Quantum Land, Heisenberg Bank, Institute of Mechanics, Copenhagen School, Fermi-Boz Academy, Virtual Reality, Atoms in the Empty, Rutherford Castle, Particle Concert Masquerade, and the City of Experimental Physics Games.
Quantum Alice is similar to the Alice created by the novelist Lewis Carroll (who had an in-depth experience in mathematics).
It is a novel whose protagonists are electrons, neutrons, protons, photons, and quarks.
Alice goes to the Quantum Country — an entirely new version of Wonderland, smaller than an atom — and each landmark she frequents there illustrates a different aspect of quantum theory; there Alice encounters a number of extraordinary characters, through which she learns the uncertainty principle, wave functions, Pauli principle, and other concepts. Baffling, with a new intake that makes them all easy to absorb.
Along the same lines, Dan Brown introduces elements of particle physics and electronic engineering into his novels, as shown in The Lost Symbol and The Origin.
Braun blends scientific facts and literary fiction to create interesting worlds that help readers explore these fields without feeling overwhelmed; in Angels and Demons, Braun offers particle physics in an exciting way, tackling the story of antimatter smuggling, which prompts the reader to dive into this complex field of science, in an interesting narrative that highlights the challenges and adventures associated with this science.
José Rodríguez dos Santos, a Portuguese journalist and novelist, combines his journalistic and novelist skills to provide stories that delve into science in an exciting storytelling style, though he elaborates on scientific knowledge more than Dan Brown does.
In his novel The Mystical Hand, Dos Santos addresses the subject of biological evolution and astrophysics, mixing scientific facts with fiction, dissecting scientific concepts in a way that the average reader can understand, without losing the element of suspense and excitement in his plots.
I feel very grateful for this type of novel and its authors as much as I am for scientists and their discoveries, and I hope that it will be more popular in our Arab societies, whether by specialists in the scientific field or others, as a space for fun and learning.
In his novel The Gods of the Universe, Dos Santos explores topics such as the Big Bang and string theory, presenting them in the context of an exciting story.
Thanks to his journalistic background, Dos Santos has the ability to simplify scientific concepts, presenting them in a curious way.
What science fiction novelists do in their series is try to shift one ’ s mind from the superficial, fragile, transitory levels of thought to the higher horizons, which may seem invisible or intangible to many; understanding the basics is the foundation of every sober science, the necessary first step to contribute to intellectual and societal advancement, and not to dwell in the corners of indifference away from the scientific revolutions around us.
I feel very grateful for this type of novel and its authors as much as I am for scientists and their discoveries, and I hope that it will be more popular in our Arab societies, whether by scientific professionals or others, as a space for fun and learning, to turn on the disrupted senses, and to take a look at the worlds around us.
The views expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.

What time period produced science fiction works that included idealogies such as capitalism, and communism, and also threats of nuclear power, racism, pollution, and more?

This foundational period set the stage for the Golden Age (1930s–1950s), dominated by authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert A. Heinlein.

Title:

Content: Supplement
Sunday literature.
Culture
Sunday Literature: Tu Chien's Years, Huang Hua and Long Memories: A Review of Books by Tu Chien
He died, and there was a great book about him, and a great book about him.
Born in Hong Kong on February 19, 1935 (also known as February 19, 1934), Du Chin studied at Lingnan Primary School and St. Stephen's College in Hong Kong. He graduated from the Chinese Department of Sun Yat-sen University.
Du has been engaged in the editorial and translation work of newspapers and periodicals for 30 years. He has edited the monthly book “Open Volume ” and“ Readers ’ Friends ”. He is the author of “New Trends in Asian, African and Latin Literature ” (1976),“ Contemporary Foreign Writers and Works ” (1980), “The Night Voyage of the Book Sea ” (2 volumes, 1980, 1984),“ World Science Fiction ” (1992). He also translated several science fiction novels, including The Story of a Detective (1994), The Story of a Detective (2019), The Story of Three Generations (2014), Long Memories: The Eyes of a Teacher and Friends (2015), and translated several science fiction novels.
Du moved to Canada in his later years and died on July 23, 2022.
From Afro-Asian to Contemporary Foreign Literature
I have "Asian, African and Latin Literature New Trend", published by Hong Kong Wanyuan Book Company, this book from the left side, introduced the Asian, African and Latin literature, and it is rare to write a relatively mild, not too much ideological discourse.
From the illustrations in the book, Du Chen should have seen a number of foreign books before writing this book, including book reviews such as "Achebe's Novel Creation" and "Du Bois's Will", which discuss the more famous black writers, and scroll down a "text prison of a novel - this novel exposes the corruption of the police", from 1974 Nelson Marra The award-winning novel “The Bodyguard, ” and its associated spate of arrests, describes the repression of freedom of speech and the press by the Uruguayan police, as well as the repression of the literary and artistic world.
The incident has faded from the memory of ordinary literary readers, but Du Jian recorded it with a book review and became a page of literary history.
Towards the end of the 1970s, the tendency of the dogmatic left gradually faded, and Du Jian ’ s reading range became wider. Contemporary Foreign Writers and Works was published by the Hong Kong Ocean Arts and Culture Society, and its chapters were published in the magazine Ocean Arts and Culture.
Du introduced Graham Greene, John Cheever, Colette, Bertolt Brecht, Isak Dinesen, Nadine Gordimer, Ryuichiro Tanizaki and Ryuosuke Okawa, eight 20th-century writers who not only came out of the confines of Afro-Asian literature. As soon as the book is in hand, readers can enjoy the work from the two texts of the commentary and the translation. In “Contemporary Foreign Writers and Works, ” Du Jian chose to translate Ryuichiro Tanizaki ’ s“ tattoo ” and Ryuosuke Okawa ’ s “bamboo forest ”, both of which are popular and popular.
The South African female writer Gaudimet, introduced by Du Jian in the late 1970s, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991.
Book Sea Night Flight
"Book Sea Night Voyage" two episodes published by Beijing Sanlian, when there were many prints in mainland China, naturally has a certain influence, these two books seem to have opened a window for long-closed mainland readers.
Some of the book ’ s reviews have been found in The New Trend of Asian, African and Latin Literature and Contemporary Foreign Writers and Works. The book is mainly a collection of book reviews written by Du Jian in his spare time between 1974 and 1978.
As for "Book Sea Night Voyage II", the content is equally extensive, there is no less than, the second set of the epilogue, Du gradually explained his own ten years as a day of three paragraphs on the reading method:
"I read there is no shortcut, and will not" speed reading ", using a stupid way, the old man actually read the book, there is no other way.
I divide the time into three sections every day, to work a section, do work concentrate on other, the other section is translation and writing, people engaged in writing in Hong Kong, every day have to be a "reptile", write thousands of words, earn some manuscript money to earn a living, is the so-called book is only for the straw.
Only in the evening, I have my own time, from eight o'clock to two o'clock at night, I use to read the books I like to read, write what I like to write, these five or six hours are my most precious, but also I can control a period of reading and writing time. 」
In the second part of the book, Du Jian pointed out that the title of the book was Yan Qingshu (pen name Tang, author of "Jinling Spring Dream") in the illness, Du Jian wrote this book to commemorate the death of his friend Yan Qingshu.
Tang Tao wrote the preface to The Book of the Sea and Night Voyage II. At a glance, when he saw that the book was written by Zhang Dai (Zi Zongzi) and Ah Ying's The Book of the Night Voyage, Tang Tao, a veteran scholar of books, wrote:
"The Book of the Sea of Night Voyage, the Night Voyage Collection, and the Night Voyage Ship have a common meaning, suggesting that the author began his life of reading and writing at a time of silence and complete silence."
The first three books deal with this.
However, Zhang Zongzi has his own experience and opinions, which deserve our attention.
He said that the world is the most difficult to deal with, except for the night boat.
Yu Yao custom, the children of later generations, all do not read, after 20 years of learning as a handicraft, so the hundred works of acrobatics, occasionally have questions, such as "Yingzhou 18 bachelor, Yuntai 28 generals", one by one registration, the answer is like a "two-legged bookcase".
This kind of question and answer is often carried out in the night sailing ship. "Tang Tao also mentioned the funny story of a monk and a man in Chang Dai's" The Night Voyage Ship ", so let's not record it, and if you are interested, it is not difficult to find it.
Science fiction and detective fiction
In the 1990s, two volumes of The World Science Fiction Literary Landscape, published by the Modern Education Research Society and published by the Hong Kong Triumvirate of Detective Reasoning Novels, were the first books Du Jian wrote for young students to read.
According to Li Weicai in the book preface, the article in the "World Science Fiction Literary World" came from 1987 to 1988, and Du Jian was the "Strange Book Talk" column of the "Commercial Daily".
Watching H.G. Wells ’ s “The War of the Worlds ” and“ The Invisible Man, ” as well as Jules Verne ’ s works, Du recalls, was captivated by science fiction.
"World Science Fiction Literary Grand View" divides science fiction into four eras of creation, development, gold and innovation. The originator is "Frankenstein" author Mary Shelley (Mary Shelley), followed by Verne and Wales, and the development era has Huxley (Aldous Huxley) and George Orwell. Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein and Frank Herbert, author of Dune, the era of innovation is even more grand, including Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Ballard. J. G. Ballard is one of ten.
Ni Kuang's novels are highly readable because of their dramatic plot arrangements and vivid writing.
"World Science Fiction Literary Grand View" does not have esoteric nomenclature and academic discourse, but takes characters as a special chapter, and introduces the contents of representative works, which are all-encompassing, and is both a brief history of science fiction and a good primer for teenagers.
"Detective Reasoning Novel Talk" has an additional edition of "Detective Story", according to the reprint preface, Du Jian pursues "reading no forbidden area", since childhood likes adventure novels and detective novels, he also pointed out that Qian Zhongshu, Yang, Qian Yuan's family of three are fans of reasoning fiction.
"Detective Reasoning Novel Talk" from the beginning of the conversation between Allan Poe and Holmes, also mentioned Charlie Chan, Fu Manchu, James Bond three novel characters; Japanese reasoning fiction also accounted for a considerable amount of space, the additional edition of "Detective Story" added "Little Roosevelt's" First Lady Detective Case "," The Cat Detective Case "female writer Lilian Brown", style change New materials were added to the four articles of Keigo Higashino and the New Trend of Reasoning Novels and the Past and Present of Chinese Detective Reasoning Novels.
Aged yellow flowers
In his later years, Du left behind two books, one is a memoir, "Years of Yellow Flowers: The Search of Three Generations", and the other is a collection of essays, "Long Face Memories: The Eyes of Teachers and Friends."
From the childhood of the beacon fire (1935 – 1946), experienced the ideal pursuit of studying in mainland China, the anti-rightist struggle, and the storm of the Cultural Revolution. After 20 years in mainland China, he returned to Hong Kong and lived in Hong Kong for another 20 years.
Due to the serious illness of his mother, Tu Chin returned to Hong Kong with the President of the Xinhua News Agency, Mr Leung Wai-lin, and then came to Hong Kong with a one-way permit to accompany his father, Dr Li Song, to work in a pharmacy.
In the past 20 years in mainland China, many books can not be seen, so once in Hong Kong, they constantly buy books to read.
Du Jian bought a collection of poems by Kahlil Gibran and translated some of the novels, but he wanted to kill time and practice writing. Moreover, "In the past few years, the pollution caused by the language of the Cultural Revolution in China, when I opened the newspaper, I saw all the big stories and false stories and official words, and it was best to clean the scum of my own language and words. I was able to learn his writing skills and practice my own Chinese writing, so I started translating Gibberlain ’ s novels. ”
He does not want to hide in the willow.
Du Jian went to the "New Evening News" to see the work, Rover asked Du Jian to translate a draft to see, Du Jian reluctantly to his own translation of the novel and the introduction of Ji Boren's short article to Rover.
The next day, Du Jian opened the "New Evening News" and found that his article introducing Gilbert was published in the newspaper.
As a result, Du turned to work at the newspaper office, because the newspaper was short of people, so he worked in the supplement of the newspaper.
He changed his name to Dujuan, meaning Dujuan Dujuan, to "Dujuan Dujuan".
My handwritten collection of Kiberon's novels, a small book by Daguang Publishing House in 1975, is a collection of translations from Du Jian's that year.
Du Jian said in "The Golden Flower of Time" that Zhang Huai, editor of Daguang Publishing House, is his acquaintance and has published several books for him, including "Life and Death", "People at the bottom", "New District Governor", "Golden City of Blood", etc. These books are not easy to find nowadays.
Teacher 's Eyes
In the preface to the book "I Know Du Zhen", the subtitle of "The Yellow Flower of Time", Lan Zhen points out that "The Yellow Flower of Time" "tells the story of the three generations of his family (grandfather Pan Ta Wei, father Li Song and Li Wenjian) who followed the truth and participated in the democratic revolution." His father was a little older, and his father was a little older, and his father was a little older, and he was a little older, and he was a little older.
It is divided into two parts: the first part is "Teacher's Letters", which, as the name suggests, are reminiscent of teachers and friends, including Lun, Chen Ti, Wu Chi-min, Lu Fu, Yen Ching-shu, Fan Yong, An Tzu Chieh, Kang Chun-fang, Li Liang-min, Xiao Qian Qian, Xu Xu, Lin Nien-tong, Huang Kuo-chih, Ma Kuo-chuan, and Qian. In the second half of the book, "Looking Back on History," Du Chien writes about the old stories of Liao An-hsiang, Pan Chu, Huang Leng-kuan, Pan Ta-wei, and Chen Lu-kui.
There are a number of overlaps between the "Love of the Teacher" and the "Yellow Flower of the Year". "From scratch" is a macroscopic view, and "Love of the Teacher" is even a micro-close-up. Du Jian writes old prose with the pen of a novelist. It is better to be lively and friendly, and everyone is alive. — Remembering my grandfather, Pan Ta-wei ” is a particularly detailed and wonderful article. Pan Ta-wei was influenced by Sun Yat-sen ’ s ideas and joined the Xingzhong Society. Later, Pan Ta-wei became the organizer of the Southern Section of the League.
The most famous story of Pan Ta-wei is the collection of the remains of the 72 martyrs of Huang Hua-gang. This passage is told by Du Chien through the words of his mother-in-law, Chen Wei-chang. When Chen Wei-chang died, Du Chien was very young. It was impossible to record his mother-in-law ’ s words. In other words, Du Chien used a small pen. The story of his father is told in the book of Revelation, and the story of his father is told in the book of Revelation.
Author: Wu Chi-min, editor of Readers ’ Liangyou Monthly (1984-1988, 45 issues), Science and Science Fiction Series (1990, 4 volumes) and Readers ’ Liangyou Library (10 volumes), Zhao Jiabi, Liang Yusheng, Hsu Ting-ming, Dong Ding-shan, Hsiao Chien, Ku Tsang-wu, Huang Ji-shih, Chen Hui-yang and Du Chien-chun.
Combining "The Yellow Flower of the Year" and "The Memory of the Long Face", now imagining Du Jian's career of writing books, translating books, and compiling books is bound to feel wonderful.
by Vincent Cheng
Art • Liu Ruoji
Editors • Chu Chien-hsun
Email • literature @ mingpao.com
fb: http: / / www.facebook.com / SundayMingpao
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What time period produced science fiction works that included idealogies such as capitalism, and communism, and also threats of nuclear power, racism, pollution, and more?

Who are considered great masters of the golden age of science fiction?

Isaac Asimov
Arthur C. Clarke
Robert A. Heinlein

The Golden Age celebrated scientific progress and space exploration, often emphasizing optimism about humanity’s future while raising ethical questions about technology’s impact.

Canonical works from this era include Asimov’s “Foundation” series and Clarke’s “Childhood’s End,” which remain essential reading for their influence on the genre.

Who are considered great masters of the golden age of science fiction?

The 1960s and 1970s ushered in the New Wave movement, which challenged earlier conventions by incorporating literary experimentation and addressing deeper psychological, social, and political dimensions such as gender, race, and environmental concerns.

What time period produced science fiction works that included idealogies such as capitalism, and communism, and also threats of nuclear power, racism, pollution, and more?

Leading figures included Ursula K. Le Guin, whose novel “The Left Hand of Darkness” remains a landmark for its complex treatment of gender and society, and Samuel R. Delany, known for his nuanced portrayals of sexuality and identity.

This period expanded science fiction’s possibilities beyond technological speculation into multifaceted human experience.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Attention to technology.
Writers explain the shift in current literature
In a new novel by journalist Yumi Adejuki, an anonymous statement circulating on social media threatens to undermine the burgeoning relationship between a young couple, the novel illustrates all the fears and toxins that social media apps can sow.
Anatomy of the role of contemporary technology
This is not the only work of fiction in recent years that puts aspects of modern technology under the microscope, there are many books that dissect the role of contemporary technology in our lives.
In Gabriel Zevin ’ s Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, he touches on the themes of life, death, reconciliation, and love through the lens of the evolution of video games and online worlds.
A best-selling book like Yellowface looks at race, privilege, power, and the pitfalls of the publishing industry, but it also touches on Twitter.
Technology company scandals
Bookblogger Julian Bonocore told Mashable that she has seen a rise in technology-based fiction in recent times, attributing it to the fact that such books play on the public ’ s concerns, especially regarding real-life tech scandals in Silicon Valley and big tech companies.
Technology-based stories are compelling and interesting, from business diving to personal success and scandals.
Young author Wendy Maas told Mashable: “Twenty-first-century novels are increasingly entangled with the constant evolution of technology and its impact on humans.
For decades, futuristic gadgets like artificial-intelligence-controlled devices and the ability to instantly communicate with anyone around the world have been the exclusive stuff of science fiction writers.
Now, a lot of great technology has become part of our daily lives, so authors of other genres can incorporate it into their stories as well.
The ever-evolving technology
Stories about tech workers have become commonplace.
Many authors have been praised for their accounts of the people behind the big tech companies and the dark side of the industry.
Sometimes, the industry is used as a symbolic story, but more often, as a framework for exploring the undulating consequences of a culture of bustle, freedom, and ambition.
Sophie Vershbow, a writer who previously worked in publishing for 10 years, believes that this kind of fiction exploits our very real and human fears about the ever-evolving technology landscape.
Books containing technology are popular for the same reason dystopian novels were popular during President Trump ’ s presidency, and epidemiological novels were popular during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Imagination is a way to indulge our fears and curiosity across pages.

What concepts does Ishiguro's literary science fiction novel bring up?

What did Frank Herbert's "Dune" manage to achieve?

In the 1980s, cyberpunk emerged as a gritty, tech-informed subgenre spotlighting dystopian futures, information technology, and counter-culture.

What time period produced science fiction works that included idealogies such as capitalism, and communism, and also threats of nuclear power, racism, pollution, and more?

William Gibson’s “Neuromancer” epitomizes this era, influencing countless narratives centered on hacking, virtual reality, and corporatized societies.

Contemporary science fiction is richly diverse, influenced by global perspectives and voices historically marginalized in the genre.

Title:

Content: Sunday Literature ‧ 2021 The Most Awakening Book List (Literature)
Post Date: December 26, 2021
【 Ming Pao Newsletter 】 Fiction
by Sunfai
A variety of Hong Kong in three novels
In the past, I actually read less and less Hong Kong literature, and this year I wanted to distance myself from some words that were too timely to respond to society, and also found that I was getting farther and farther away from the younger generation, so I specially found some young writers' novels to look at, and taste the multiple Hong Kong in different eras and frames.
1) The Love Method of the Overcrowded City
Author: Huang Yi
Publisher: United Literature (September 2021)
Before the winter solstice, I finished Huang Yi ’ s “The Love Method of the Overcrowded City ”.
Each short story is put together with a painting, and the words are light and light because of the power of the picture, so that the reader has the possibility of multiple reading.
Whether it is heterosexual love, homosexual love, complex entanglement of love, the author wrote so naturally, but as a reader of my psychological reaction turned out to be so twisted.
The novel was written in the past two or three years, the dark shadow of the era is like a shadow, but it does not reduce the warmth of the heart, love, the breath of youth so that people still have a little space in the oppression.
2) Single Bed
Author: Jiajun
Publisher: Mishan Bookstore (2021)
Because of the promotion of "Sunday Literature", I read the first book by Mishan Bookstore, "Single Bed", and was surprised at the resilience of the younger generation.
In the book, Jiajun writes about Beijing, Xinjiang, Mongolia, South America and other places, but Hong Kong is always a lingering theme.
Central white-collar life is certainly not easy, but occasionally open anal, bladder jokes, the meaning of life still has to rely on their own to find.
As in the case of the righteous, there is a life of lawlessness, a life of lawlessness.
3) Nan Hui Truck: A Collection of Short Stories from New Territories West
Author: Wang Zen-heng
Publisher: Postscript Studio (January 2021)
But the most profound, or after the vernal equinox read "Nan Hui truck: New Territories West short story collection".
The workers in the northwest New Territories under Wang Zen-heng ’ s pen, the crane workers, the massage girls, the unmarried women from the Mainland who came to Hong Kong, the border youths, and the low-level agents of the anti-triad unit, are not the groups I have come into frequent contact with in my life, but I know that they are the background of this society.
The black sand beach of Lung Kwu Tan, the disorderly walk on Castle Peak Road, the village entrance of Siu Lam Tsuen, and the unquenchable smoke head of the ground of the rear hill breaking down the primary school are obviously not the schizophrenic construction of "Illusion Love", but in fact, they are the cruel reality of the nightmare that impels Yuen Tin and even our city.
I am 30 years old and 40 years old, I am particularly taught by the post-90s generation this year, whether it is music, YouTube Channel, or the creators of novels.
This year has not been easy, and the road ahead is even more difficult. I just hope that you will continue to work hard and unleash more power than you can imagine.
Science fiction
Man TANG Ching-kin
The Crossing between Science Fiction and Pure Literature
If science fiction is still regarded as genre literature today, it would be too light on science fiction.
Now pure literature writers are happy to take science fiction as the topic, and actively explore the pursuit of literature with science fiction; on the other hand, many authors who are regarded as science fiction writers have gradually pushed "science fiction" to a new position beyond traditional types of literature.
If possible, I would prefer to use "Watsuki" to understand the relationship between science fiction and pure literature.
1) Clara and the Sun
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Translator: Lin Hongtao
Publisher: Shang Zhou (March 2021)
Nobel Prize winner Ishiguro Ishiguro has written many works with science fiction elements, but the literary laurels make him incompatible with the label of "science fiction writer".
But as soon as you start reading his words, you will immediately understand what I mean by "Watanabe".
Klara and the Sun is a bittersweet grown-up novel about Clara ’ s feelings and introspection as she grows up — the only thing special is that Clara is a robot made to be a companion to human children.
The novel uses a robot as a first-person narrative, so the novel not only responds to the growing fiction tradition in the history of literature, but also transcends it: how did the robot human spirit grow? How did Clara's knowledge of self and love get excavated under the pen of the novelist?
Ishiguro Ishiguro is one of the few writers to write gently and deeply about science fiction, and this new work after the Nobel Prize has not disappointed.
2) Zero Separation
Author: Imah
Publisher: Maitian (May 2021)
However, this kind of "crossing" is not limited to the topic of the novel.
In Taiwan, for example, a group of Mesozoic novelists even regarded it as a basic narrative skill, and science fiction has become a common material for them to practice narrative skills.
This year, I was particularly interested in the new book Zero Separation.
Since "The Dreamer", Yi has explained to the Chinese speaking world that he has the ability to lead Chinese novels to a new territory of "science fiction - (pure) literature".
The complexity of the narrative of the novel lies in the fact that he takes on the universe of The Dreamer and at the same time inserts various fictional "subtexts" such as preface, postscript, and dialogue to contain a future world written by a future author.
3) "Transit: 15 Trans Dimensional Travels by Le Guin"
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Translator: Yan Yun
Publisher: Trojan Horse Culture (August 2021)
Finally, I have to recommend a science fiction writer in the strict sense.
Her "six songs of earth and sea" has long been a science fiction type of classic.
This year, Taiwan translated her short story series, “Changing Planes, ” a series of stories about moving through different dimensions.
Under Le Guin ’ s pen, science fiction stories are written as ethnography, spreading the magnificent and mixed heterogeneous universe.
Literary readers with a clear heart can also read a kind of intertextuality: the novel refers to many literary names, such as Bochs, Calvino, and Dostoyevsky.
As I read, I twirled between the “sci-fi universe ” and the“ literary dimension. ”
This is the experience of reading contemporary "science fiction - (pure) literature".
prose
Mann Chan Yen-kai
1) Copy the "Unfathomable": "Drifting Clouds"
Author: Li Rikang
Publisher: Postscript Studio (January 2021)
Those frightened, harsh eyes were staring at me.
He is forcibly taken away by a dog squad with a dog pen, or has become a dish on someone else ’ s table.
It was the black dog that accompanied me through my childhood.
It turns out that "a lot" is also the case, which may be the fate of rural dogs.
Li Ri Kang ’ s “Leaving the Clouds ” also revealed the scars of my childhood.
The author says this book is about misinformation.
While studying in Kyoto, he enjoyed Japanese aesthetics, but also encountered natural disasters.
In the summer of 2018, I was editing a collection of student essays, and I soon received an article entitled “A Journey to Kyoto ” from Li Rikang.
The article explains the various aspects of visiting students, and carefully explains the experience of copying ancient books in college.
A year later, someone is determined to open the Pandora box, and the result is “unexpected ”.
Later, people experienced "grief, sigh, destruction, mystery, fear, determination, and dreams."
There is also a "mishap" to be written.
Man Hsu Ti-chung
Guarded by Dragons: Encounters with Rare Books and Rare People
Written by Rick Gekoski
Publisher: Constable (August 2021)
When Gekoski was a student, he sold a set of Shakespeare and made his first pot of gold, which led him to start his gold business by trading old books.
His original occupation was a professor of English at Warwick University, and he probably taught Tao Jie. Obviously, being a rare bookseller is much more fun than teaching.
The subtitle of this book, "The Best Book and the Best People", can also be used in the previous similar work, Tolkien's Gown (American version of Nabokov's Butterfly), both to write books, and more importantly to write people, these people, mostly famous writers, Gekoski help them sell books, or Their book heritage, written about their great personalities and behaviors.
So the bookseller can not be offended, otherwise he will explode your dark side - rest assured, after you pass.
3) "Geng Zi Hai Wu Xu"
Author: Yeh Han-liang
Publisher: OUP (April 2021)
Yeh Han-liang is now widely known as a martial artist. When he knew his name, he was a musician and a broadcaster.
When I bought this book, I wanted to see if he was teaching people how to spend years and fortune telling.
If so, you might end up putting the book down.
There is only a small amount of talk in the book, and because of the circumstances, it is not selling cucumbers.
And Ye Han-liang is the same generation, he talks about the old life, I can most of the experience, feel the same.
The words in the book are quite beautiful - a little higher than fluency, Li is the meaning of sprinkling.
He studied foreign languages at university, but has long paid attention to "national history", and academic numbers, had to understand Chinese classics, the pen quotes the ancients, pure and natural, will not give people the feeling of dropping a book bag. Geng Zi, that is, 2020, 2019, 2018, is the eventful autumn of Hong Kong, the article is more lyrical than emotional (in fact, it is absolutely not), it is not only political, it is more everyday.
4) 《 Love Bookstore 》
Author: Yosuke Ikouchi
Publisher: Small Bookstore Small Case Publishing (July 2021)
The coronavirus epidemic has dealt a heavy and even fatal blow to various industries, and the book industry naturally bears the brunt of it, with fewer people taking to the streets. But according to the author of the book, some booksellers have turned to selling books online, and their business has been ahead of the curve.
Another interesting phenomenon is the addition of a number of independent bookstores and independent publishing houses in that year alone (2020).
I found that this is also the case in Hong Kong, in addition to bookstores and publishing houses, as well as magazines, it is because of curiosity that we have to see what is happening in the Japanese book industry.
The author visited 10 independent bookstores in Japan and their founders, and his list is said to be as long as 40.
These bookstores have their own characteristics, but they generally have one thing in common, which is that they often host lectures and events, and even publish.
In Hong Kong, some bookstores offer paid lectures, classes, and even become a major source of income.
The author is Japanese, understands Chinese, and the book is written in Chinese, so there is no translator.
Man Lee King-heng
I ’ m not a fan of new books, but I ’ ve recently read a couple of memorable books that happened to be published in 2021.
5 ） 《 Shop Life 》
Author: Huang Guoxuan, Zheng Junhan
Publisher: Extraordinary (March 2021)
I rarely read the prose, but this collection of essays calls me unrelenting.
The article in the book depicts the daily life of the bookstore, but in the clever arrangement, the whole book structure is complete and unified, the content is comprehensive, and thought-provoking.
The story begins with two people entering the bookstore and ends with a review of everyone ’ s departure.
The author briefly and warmly outlines the daily work of the bookstore — ordering, unpacking, putting on shelves, stocking, packing, book fairs, and even dealing with rat plague floods, as well as the fate and interests of bosses, colleagues, guests, publishers, authors, book club owners, and even porters.
The book permeates the author's ideal mission and realistic management of books, reading, bookstores, and even social life care and reflection.
Reading this book about books and bookstores made me feel the texture and temperature of the book.
6) Running to the Night: A Collection of YOASOBI Novels
Author: Hoshino Dance Night, Ishigaki Aota, Ishigaki no, Underwater Wave
Translator: Chen Fanfan
Publisher: Cutting-Edge (May 2021)
I like books and I also like music.
This “musical novel ” project, which combines music and literature, is very special: the record company first released the draft under the premise that the winning works will be adapted into songs, and the Japanese duo YOASOBI wrote and interpreted the lyrics based on the winning works. YOASOBI is good at subtly composing melodies of melancholy and melancholy, and subtly composing melodies through the contrast of form and content. It is a simple but complex rhyme.
This book contains four original novels adapted by YOASOBI as songs on the album THE BOOK, including young people ’ s feelings and reflections on death, fate, love, and the end.
Hoshino Dance Night ’ s “The Temptation of Sonatos / Dissolve in the Night Sky ” is a story about death in an ingenious and one-of-a-kind way, and the song“ Run to the Night ” has been downloaded over 100 million times.
But I prefer - whether it is a song or a novel - "Maybe", like it to capture the sadness and helplessness left by a couple after their love fades with a precise but understated brush stroke.
7) Becoming Simonova
Author: Kate Kirkpatrick
Translator: Zhang Wei
Publisher: Acropolis (June 2021)
Simompova is a legendary woman: an open relationship with Saudi Arabia; an existentialist following Saudi Arabia; a world-renowned feminist. It is absolutely amazing to read this more than 500 pages of Being Simompova with these impressions.
Based on the letters and diaries published after Bova ’ s death, the author presents one of the most three-dimensional complex Simone Bova has ever seen.
Rather than being the perfect embodiment of ideal love, Bova and Saudi Arabia are more like partners on the intellectual road.
In fact, she is much more passionate about other heterosexual and same-sex relationships, and has been deeply hurt by Saudi Arabia ’ s popularity and coldness.
Academically, Bova ’ s ability to argue is higher than Saudi Arabia ’ s, forming ideas about existence and nothingness earlier, and even developing a set of existential ethics on her own.
She was dissatisfied with the feminists of the time, and wrote "Second Sex" originally only to organize their own growth experience, but unexpectedly became the most influential feminist.
Finally, I have to mention that the foreword of this book is very wonderful, and even if she is not a Bova fan, she will certainly feel endless fun.
WEN YARAN
(8) The Complete Seventies.
Author: 7th Grade
Publisher: Imprint (December 2020)
A full set of 13 books, with novels, poems and essays, published in December 2020, should not be excessive if it is included in the 2021 awakening book list.
I have not read the seventh grade before, it is after his death in 2020, the printing and publishing of this set of complete began to read.
The words of the seventh class are really powerful, like one of his masterpieces, the short story "I Love Black Eyes", is pouring rain, pedestrians scramble to climb the ladder to the roof of the house to avoid flooding, he wrote: "He has never hated human beings as much as at this moment. The goal of the project."
The words of the seventh class, I would say, have a unique dark atmosphere, and when asked where this atmosphere came from, the prologue in the second book of the Complete Collection provides an answer: that is, "the characteristics of the rhythm of the text."
In the words of the seventh class, the rhythm is different from other, there is "the breath of life, the beating of the blood."
You will understand when you read.
9) The past is not as good as smoking.
Author: Zhang and
Publisher: OUP (September 2021)
When you see the author ’ s name, you know it ’ s a must read book.
The six characters in the book, like the first book published in 2004, are the stories of the upper echelons of Chinese society and the last aristocrats, all of whom have been talking to the author's father, Zhang Bojun, for many years.
In China before and after World War II, as well as resisting foreign enemies, the elites of these countries wandered between the two parties, and in their lives, there were questions about where the country should go and what role they should play and what role they should play.
There are dramatists like Hong Shen, who was once a member of the Kuomintang, and later hoped to be recognized as a communist after his death; there are also political figures like Zuo Shunsheng, who was once the secretary general of the NLD, an important figure of the third force outside the KMT, and was the object of Mao Zedong's active recruitment.
It was only after 1949 that he did not go to Beijing and did not go to Taiwan, choosing to settle in Hong Kong and continue to discuss politics as a scholar.
Under the political storm, there are at least six examples of what people can choose and how they should choose.
"The Anatomy of Melancholy"
Author by: Robert Burton
Publisher: Penguin Classics (July 2021)
The Chinese translation "Anatomy of Depression", first published in 1621, and finally revised after the author's death in 1651. In 2021, the Penguin Classic reprinted this monumental work in hardcover.
This year, there is such a book on the pillow, there will be a calming effect. More than 1,300 pages, talking about what depression is, was written by Robert Burton in Oxford.
The book is very thick, but in addition to the opening preface, there is actually no need to read from scratch, find the chapter that interests you, that is, a specific depression that troubles you, or what kind of curiosity you are about depression, like the root of love depression, or why we are angry or afraid, the author as early as the 17th century, has the answer.
Wen Yi-jen
11) The Mayfly of the Great Age
Author: Shao Songxiong
Publisher: Mishan Bookstore (December 2021)
Shao Chung-hsiung studied in the 1980s, and has a wide range of knowledge and interests in the humanities. In the past, Oxford published only three collections of essays on music: Black and White, The Joy of Music, and The Twilight of the Gods.
"The Mayfly of the Great Age" just compiled his column articles written in the last years of the Apple Daily, from memoirs of the pioneers he encountered during his school years, to talk about Hong Kong popular culture such as movies or TV dramas, from family education to learning boxing and cooking, etc., and chatter and talk, and let the reader savor the image of the last student.
The book is divided into six parts by content: floating life, religious views, teaching, world style, humanities and film arts.
Shao Songxiong ’ s words do not have beautiful words, on the contrary, he sincerely shares his experience and insights with readers in a solid text, which is a long example of scholarly prose in the classical humanistic tradition.
"The Soul of the Old."
Author: Guo Ting
Publisher: Maitian (July 2021)
What are old things? Why are old things important? Guo Ting, who grew up with the elderly in Shanghai, seems to have a firm belief in old things.
From the old things, she saw people who had lived and died in a single line of time and did not return, leaving behind a chance to reconnect with the lost time.
While studying in the UK, she found that the society has been relatively stable for hundreds of years, and its charity shop has left a large number of intact old things, from fashion to porcelain, from books to vinyl records, and even home furnishings. Guo Ting will be her rich knowledge and passion for charity shops, second-hand shops, and old bookstores, focusing on the soul of old things. It is written in a very detailed manner, and it is written in a poetic manner.
How did the sad days pass?
Author: Huang Shu-han
Painting: LAI En-tsi
Photographer: Ruan Chi Him
Publisher: Shi Ching Culture (November 2021)
After two turbulent years, many Hong Kong people re-examine the past life and find the shadow of the past life. Huang Han-sook's "How to Live the Sad Days" recorded some of her own experiences and thoughts in the past few years: as a person in the education system, a witness of my city's aging, a patient, how should she view the city people's evasion of negative things?
In search of the whole, she listens to other people ’ s stories; in search of answers, she reads classic literary novels.
The book contains not only her simple words, but also the paintings of theater director Ryan Enci and the street scenes photographed by Ruan Zhiqian, which show a more three-dimensional look of sadness.
Poetry collections
Mann Chan Tzu-him
1) Save me with her little tongue.
Author: Cao Shuying
Publisher: Black Eyes Culture (June 2021)
Cao Shuying is good at short poetry and rapid segmentation, full of improvised fun, you can never guess where it will turn, how to stop.
This book is published in Taiwan, but it is full of memories of Hong Kong. At least four and a half of the seven chapters refer to this place: Hong Kong, Tai Yu Shan, Night Kowloon, Heart Lake City, Green Island.
Some poems seem to have no local memory, and the author still does not forget the point at the end of the poem, which shows deep feelings.
On the other hand, poetry does not always flow into reality, but can also plunge into the mind.
Also written in Taikoo, Cao Shuying ’ s “In Taikoo ” does not outline the landscape and concentrate history like the“ Taikoo ” of Ru Ming, but says that those “women like robots ” and“ men like silk ”, “should not walk in King ’ s Road, Jusco, Percy ’ s Restaurant, / They should walk in Rome, Prague, Brooklyn. ” A mysterious rope is drawn.
How far can poetry go from life?
2) "Simboska. Collage of Life"
Author: Alice Milani
Translator: Lin Wei-yun
Publisher: BIG CULTURE (July 2021)
Simboska is very popular in the Chinese world, and there are many translations of poetry, but no biographies in Chinese have been seen so far.
Based on biographies, interviews and other materials, the graphic novel "Simboska. Collage of Life" is a virtual reality, which not only presents the poet's life turning point, changes in literature and political beliefs, but also infuses imagination with fun.
Poets love to collage images, and so does this book, which uses crisp splicing to connect different time and space.
When it quotes poetry, it often does not restore the writing background like a biography, but deliberately mismatches the poetry to another time and space, and uses it to interpret the poet's psychology and arouse the reader's imagination.
Simboska is known for his humor, and the book is just as humorous, and even the dullest thank-you note makes me laugh: “Finally, I want to thank my unparalleled manager, Alexandra Sparta. ”
He has my love and 70% of my income. "
The Rose Is Open for No Reason: 40 Paths Approaching Modern Poetry
Author: Liao Wei-tang
Publisher: New Classical Culture (May 2021)
Roses bloom, there is no need for reasons, but when the city people can not feel the poetry, who will give them the reason to read poetry, or temptation? "Roses are open for no reason - approaching the 40 paths of modern poetry" does not intend to generalize all poetry issues, prefer to give the right medicine, and respond to the public's questions: Is modern poetry and classical poetry incompatible?
Is there no musicality without rhyming? Why branch?
Therefore, this book does not look like a hard textbook, but a dialogue with a living person.
There are 40 chapters in the book, each with two or three poems carefully read to explore a poetry topic. It is obvious that Liao Wai-tong does not first have concepts and then find examples, but first draws inspiration from poetry reading and then distills concepts.
Therefore, the discussion of the topic in the book may not be complete, but the appreciation is always written brilliantly, as tempting as poetry.
Art • Liu Ruoji
Editor • Kwan Hsiao-yang
Email • literature @ mingpao.com
fb: http: / / www.facebook.com / SundayMingpao

Authors like Octavia E. Butler and N.K. Jemisin—a dominant voice with her “Broken Earth” trilogy—have deepened explorations of race, identity, and systemic power.

Title:

Content: AJC names top 10 Southern books of 2021

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Credit: File

Credit: File

Fiction, literary debuts and books by writers of color dominate list.

Looking back at the books published this year, two things stand out. One, it was a really good year for fiction. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s selection of the top 10 Southern books includes only two nonfiction titles this year, which is unusual. Two, tides seem to have turned in the effort to diversify the voices represented by the publishing industry. It wasn’t that long ago when major publishing houses released so few books by Blacks and other writers of color, that it was challenging to find titles to include on our annual end-of-the-year list. My, how times have changed. It’s heartening to witness the sheer number of phenomenal books written by Black authors this year, even though it underscores how much has been lost from the silencing of so many voices for so long.

Compiled with input from the book critics at the AJC, here are the top 10 Southern books of 2021, listed in order of publication.

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Courtesy of Grove Atlantic

Credit: TNS

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Courtesy of Grove Atlantic

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

“Milk Blood Heat”

Dantiel W. Moniz’s literary debut features 11 tightly wound stories about smart, self-possessed women and girls who stand on the precipice of major life moments: love, death, motherhood, loss, infidelity. Set in and around Jacksonville, Florida, the stories reveal the intimate complexities of the female experience, from a young girl resisting the teachings of her fundamentalist church, to a mother stewing in her guilt over almost having an extramarital affair, to a senior citizen navigating a cancer diagnosis and the men who think they know what’s best. This incisive, compassionate investigation of the feminine psyche is nominated for two PEN literary awards. (Grove Press, $25)

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Courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Credit: Simon and Schuster

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Courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Credit: Simon and Schuster

Credit: Simon and Schuster

“The Final Revival of Opal & Nev”

An introspective examination of race, privilege and the high price Black women pay when they speak their truth, this highly entertaining novel by Dawnie Walton is crafted like an oral history that tells the story of a popular interracial musical duo from the ‘70s that plans a reunion show in 2016. Renewed interest in the group prompts a music journalist to dig into their past and learn more about the explosive event that broke up the group. Along the way, deep secrets are revealed that cast the duo’s history in a different light. (Simon and Schuster, $27)

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Credit: TNS

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

“Things We Lost to the Water”

Eric Nguyen’s debut novel is the riveting story of a family of Vietnamese refugees struggling to survive in New Orleans. Mother Huong makes tremendous sacrifices for her two sons, who chafe against her rigid nature and exacting demands, which is her way of expressing love. Oldest son Tuan grapples with reconciling his memories of the family’s comfortable, stable life in Saigon with their chaotic existence mired in poverty in the U.S. Youngest son Binh eagerly embraces the American way of life but is haunted by the specter of a father he never knew. This dazzling debut is a powerful examination of the ebb and flow of the dynamics in a family under pressure. (Penguin Random House, $25.95)

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

“All That She Carried”

Winner of the National Book Award for nonfiction, MacArthur “genius” grant recipient Tiya Miles’ deeply researched account of an enslaved family in Charleston, South Carolina, traces the history of an embroidered cloth sack given to a child by her mother as a parting gift before they are sold at auction and separated forever. “Miles’ book gets as close as any document can to explaining why the sack remains so powerful. It contains great misery, but it is also a testament to the power of story, witness and unyielding love,” wrote Rosalind Bentley in a review for the AJC. (Penguin Random House, $28)

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Credit: Uncredited

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Credit: Uncredited

Credit: Uncredited

“Hell of a Book”

Jason Mott combines elements of satire, magical realism and pathos in this wildly creative telling of a hard-drinking, unnamed author on tour promoting his latest book called “Hell of a Book.” Suffering from a condition that prevents him from discerning between reality and fantasy, he’s accompanied by a companion only he can see named Kid. Interspersed between those chapters is another story about Soot, a young boy who is bullied for his dark skin and whose parents teach him to be invisible to keep him safe. This rollickingly funny but ultimately sobering look at what it’s like to be Black in the U.S. is this year’s winner of the National Book Award for fiction. (Penguin Random House, $27)

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Courtesy of HarperCollins

Credit: TNS

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Courtesy of HarperCollins

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

“The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois”

This multi-generational story by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers spans hundreds of years in the life of an Afro-Indigenous family living in a northern city but whose roots are planted in a small town in Georgia. Ailey Pearl Garfield breaks from family tradition and trades a career in medicine to become a historian. Using her professional research skills, she uncovers her family’s history, beginning with her earliest known ancestors. The book was longlisted for the National Book Award in fiction. Wrote Latria Graham in a review for the AJC: “Jeffers has created an opus, an indelible entry to the canon of contemporary American literature and one of the foundational fictional texts of Black literature worthy of sitting alongside Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man,’ Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’ and Jesmyn Ward’s ‘Sing, Unburied, Sing.’” (HarperCollins, $28.99)

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Credit: Amazon

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Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Credit: Amazon

Credit: Amazon

“Matrix”

“Fates and Furies” author Lauren Groff immerses readers in 12th century England in this captivating, fictionalized story about Marie de France, deemed too ugly to marry by Queen Eleanor and banished to an impoverished abbey where the nuns teeter on the brink of starvation. When Marie’s efforts to change the queen’s mind fail, she surrenders to her fate and, over her lifetime, transforms the abbey into a feminine stronghold of wealth and influence that threatens the powers that be. A finalist for the National Book Award in fiction, “Matrix” is an examination with modern-day implications of the challenges and benefits of female empowerment and the efforts to undermine it. (Penguin Random House, $28)

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Courtesy of Henry Holt & Company

Credit: Suzanne Van Atten

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Courtesy of Henry Holt & Company

Credit: Suzanne Van Atten

Credit: Suzanne Van Atten

“My Monticello”

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson makes her literary debut with this short story collection about a host of contemporary issues including systemic racism, environmental crises and supply chain failures. The titular story finds a group of Black and brown protestors at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, forced to seek refuge inside Thomas Jefferson’s plantation. Writes Graham in her AJC review: “The stories are a close study of the characters’ relationships to one another, the concept of home, the idea (real or imagined) of Virginia and all the hopes and promises America holds.” (Henry Holt & Co., $26.99)

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Courtesy of Riverhead Books

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Courtesy of Riverhead Books

“Monster in the Middle”

“Gone people have power,” states a sage character in “Monster in the Middle.” That’s the basic premise of Tiphanie Yanique’s unorthodox love story about the coupling of Stela and Fly. Spanning generations and nations, Yanique’s enthralling novel examines the couple’s heritage and traces it back three generations to reveal how they were shaped by those who came before them, who were, in turn, shaped by the people they loved. In the process of navigating these romantic legacies, Yanique’s characters wrangle with big-topic issues like race, religion and mental illness set against a backdrop of national tragedies. According to the AJC review: “Yanique cuts to the quick of human emotion in this captivating, multidimensional love story.” (Riverhead Books, $27)

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Courtesy of Trinity University Press

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Courtesy of Trinity University Press

“Wild Spectacle”

This delightful collection of essays by Janisse Ray, one of the finest nature writers around, provides an enthralling immersion in the splendor of our natural world. Topics include a thrilling, up-close encounter with a herd of elk in the backcountry of Montana; a sobering visit to a monarch sanctuary in Mexico littered with dead butterflies; and an austere, monthlong retreat on a remote island in Alaska that ends with a locally sourced feast. In language that is both down-to-earth and rapturous, Ray inspires new appreciation for nature and a desire to protect it at all cost. (Trinity University Press, $24.95)

N.K. Jemisin is best known for which of her books?