The Pittsburgh Writer Behold — my third Spell the Month! In January I did any old book, but February felt right for cookbooks. I must say it took me a hot minute to decide on a theme for March, but I think I’m going to try and highlight a genre that I don’t read all that often: science fiction.
One would think that because of my love for Star Trek, I’d read a lot more science fiction, but I don’t. I think it’s because Star Trek is familiar. It’s much loved in our family, and sometimes I feel that if I get too attached to another sciencey world, then I’ll forever compare it to the universe created by Gene Roddenberry.
I know for a fact this is why I’ve never been able to commit to anything else like Star Wars (let’s not get started on that comparative argument), and also why I was never really into anything else like Babylon 5, Quantum Leap and countless others. Though I do love me a Firefly rewatch every now and then!
So for March’s Spell the Month, let’s take a look at some science fiction novels that look really cool to try and read this month!
The Midnight Library
Synopsis: Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Adapt
Synopsis: Only five days have passed since Jade was brought to a distant world and a new life. Mobile for the first time ever, Jade is given the chance to do something she’s always wanted: attend school.
Dracona isn’t your typical school, however. In Andara she needs to learn all the skills an adventurer needs. For her, that means how to cast magic and use weapons without hurting herself. She’ll have to learn fast because the obstacle course isn’t the only thing challenging her progress; she’s racing against the clock to learn how to beat the Mesmer before they find her.
With both enemies and allies all around, Jade must hit the ground running, because what’s chasing her may be worse than the hospital bed she left behind. Turns out that adapting to a new world is only the first step.
Randomize
Synopsis: In the near future, if Vegas games are ingeniously scam-proof, then the heists have to be too, in this imaginative and whip-smart story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.
An IT whiz at the Babylon Casino is enlisted to upgrade security for the game of keno and its random-number generator. The new quantum computer system is foolproof. But someone on the inside is no fool. For once the odds may not favor the house—unless human ingenuity isn’t entirely a thing of the past.
Andy Weir’s Randomize is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.
Celestial Kingdom Book 1 – Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Synopsis: Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.
Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.
To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.
The House at the End of the World
Synopsis: In retreat from a devastating loss and crushing injustice, Katie lives alone in a fortresslike stone house on Jacob’s Ladder island. Once a rising star in the art world, she finds refuge in her painting.
The neighboring island of Ringrock houses a secret: a government research facility. And now two agents have arrived on Jacob’s Ladder in search of someone―or something―they refuse to identify. Although an air of menace hangs over these men, an infinitely greater threat has arrived, one so strange even the island animals are in a state of high alarm.
Katie soon finds herself in an epic and terrifying battle with a mysterious enemy. But Katie’s not alone after all: a brave young girl appears out of the violent squall. As Katie and her companion struggle across a dark and eerie landscape, against them is an omnipresent terror that could bring about the end of the world.
Okay so I cheated a little bit with C! But I really loved the cover and concept of that one, so I used its series name for the letter instead of a title. I think these tags lend bloggers and readers some room for interpretation, right? The only book I’m a bit hesitant to read on this list is RANDOMIZE, as it is book six of six in its series. I have no idea if it’s a stand alone or a continuation of a larger story. I guess we shall see. Happy reading!
