I’m a reformed science fiction/fantasy snob: I stubbornly refused to try the genre for years. I falsely believed that books had to teach me something in order to be worth reading and didn’t think SFF had anything for me. But when our lives crashed down around us in 2020, I found respite and escape in worlds that were not real. SFF also allowed me to imagine that things could be different, better than what I was currently experiencing. The most powerful thing you can do is imagine how things can be different, believes SFF author Ursula Le Guin. What would the world be like if the founding fathers hadn’t imagined a new country, or Martin Luther King, Jr. hadn’t imagined equality for all? That’s the gift of science fiction/fantasy. And while the genre can be intimidating for beginners to start reading (it was for me), here are the tips and strategies that helped me make SFF one of my favorite genres.
First, what exactly is SFF? There are a number of articles defining these terms and the difference between science fiction and fantasy has been argued ad nauseam. But here’s how it was simply explained to me using two popular franchises, both set in space: science fiction stories lean into the science, something that could be real because there is a scientific-backed explanation for it existing. Because of this, science fiction is generally set in the future (from the writer’s perspective). Think Star Trek: technology has advanced to the degree that we can separate our atoms and put them back together in another location. Beam me up, Scotty! Fantasy is not that: it is magical! Unexplainable! Fantastical! Think of George Lucas’s self-described space fantasy, Star Wars, “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”. What is the Force? No one knows but “may [it] be with you”.
How to start reading Science Fiction/Fantasy
There is a book for you.
To begin reading science fiction/fantasy, look for topics and genres that you love. Sci-fi/Fantasy spans it all, including romance, horror, and literary fiction. If you’re into historical fiction, in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Addie never dies so the novel spans generations, including the French Revolution. Love the exquisite writing and character development of literary fiction? Pick up anything by Emily St. John Mandel. I love reading about books, words, and language, so the historical fantasy work Babel by R. F. Kuang is right up my alley. Are you wanting to explore other cultures? Binti by Nnedi Okarafor, an Afrofuturistic novella, fits this bill.
Start small and gentle.
The easiest way to enter SFF is to start small: short stories and novellas are great to step into a different world without having to put a lot of energy in. Do not start with a doorstop, as I falsely believed most fantasy to be because those tomes seem to get top billing in the genre.
I also don’t recommend beginners start with stories about bleak dystopian futures unless sad and depressing is your jam. Hopeful and gentle fantasy describes kinder futures. If you want this feeling at the end of the day, read anything by Becky Chambers, one of my favorite SFF authors.
Look for an accessible option.
Sci-fi/Fantasy is known for its extensive world-building. It can take the reader some time to get acclimated to a new world and the technology or creatures in it. I hate being lost during the entire first third of a book wondering what is going on. Counteract this potential pain point by reading a story where things are only slightly different than the real world.
Magical realism, a term originally associated with Latin American literature which used magical elements as political critique, is now a term generally used to describe a story where a little bit of magic slips into everyday life. These books can be a great starter point on your fantasy journey. Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber is one of my favorites; there is something interesting going on with those blackbirds that surround the cafe. Another worth mentioning is Zakiya Dalila Harris’s The Other Black Girl. In this thriller, you have to be paying close attention or you will miss the magical element entirely.
Alternate histories and retellings also make good entry points into the genre because you are already familiar with what actually happened. These books change a few of the details, asking “what if?” Stephen King’s 11/22/63 is the story of a man who goes back in time to save John F. Kennedy from assassination. Black God’s Drums by P. Djèli Clark imagines that the American Civil War stalemated and New Orleans is a neutral territory for the North and the South. Cinder, from The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer, is a retelling of the story of Cinderella—with cyborgs.
You’ve done the work. Now enjoy!
Once you find an author you like, check their backlist. There are often sequels, prequels, and other books in the same universe. This is to a beginning reader’s advantage because once you have read one novel, you are already familiar with the world. When I finished The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (and it took me a while to get acclimated) it was easy to read the other three books in the series.
DNF or try another format.
It has taken me a year or so to figure out what SFF reads work for me. And I continue to DNF (that is, Did Not Finish), usually when I don’t take the above criteria into consideration. Sometimes the world-building is taking longer than I want. In the case of one specific buddy read with team member Donna, I did not understand what was going on and I didn’t even care. Recently, team member Brigid suggested that if I was really interested in a SFF book, to give it a try on audio. She said that it might be easier to visualize when I’m not also having to focus on reading the words (like, “how do I pronounce that?”) on the page. This makes sense to me.
If you’ve had an interest in SFF, I hope these recommendations have shown how you can give it a try yourself. If you enjoy science and the natural world, science fiction may work for you. On the other hand, if you love the mysterious and magical, fantasy may be more your speed. I tend to enjoy and read both equally and adding SFF to my reading rotation has enriched my life in so many ways. Below is a short book list to get you started. Some I already read and loved; some are on my TBR. Which titles caught your eye? I’d love to find out in the comments.
Science Fiction/Fantasy for Beginners
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Legends & Lattes
These Violent Delights
Wonder
The Space Between Worlds
Light From Uncommon Stars
Stardust
Ring Shout
Mr. Death
What SFF for beginners do you recommend? See any favorites here? Please share in the comments.
P.S. 15 fantasy novels that are grounded in reality.
About the author
Shannan Malone is the MMD Cohost and Contributor. Her go-to genre depends on her mood! You can find Shannan on Instagram @shannanenjoyslife.
74 comments
Also recommend, the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, older and often found on sale. Actually, anything by Ms McCaffrey! The three part Crystal Singer series is wonderful as well. Thanks for the more recent recommendations, I enjoy this genre.
Thanks Carole. I will have to check it out.
I second the Dragon Riders of Pern! I was a sci-fi fan from way back, but when an elderly friend gave me this “dragon” book, I took it out of courtesy, but didn’t intend to read it. I don’t “do” dragons. But I read the first page and I was hooked. I eventually read and collected the whole series. (“The Fourth Wing” has taken up the same idea, with more bad language and sex). I also recommend “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir, don’t listen to all the talk about too much science, this is a character driven story between Ryland and Rocky and it’s fantastic! Also, I recommend that if you haven’t watched the original Star Trek episodes, you do so, and then check out some of the books. They are very good and very accessible. Star Trek is centered on people, too.
Suzy, thank you for seconding the DRAGON RIDERS recommendation. I DNF’d PROJECT HAIL MARY. LOL Thanks for commenting.
Totally agree. Dragonriders of Pern is one of those series’ that I can read again and again. Also, Harry Potter books, Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings.
Anne McCaffrey is one of the best!
Oh my goodness, Caroline! I was going to recommend the exact same series! Bizarrely, I was thinking about The Crystal Singer series earlier this week, just out of the blue!
I would also recommend The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
Sorry, Carole. Autocorrect got me.
It’s interesting that you felt SFF didn’t/couldn’t teach you things the way books in other genres could! I have always gotten more out SFF than most other genres which I’m sure just speaks
For some reason it didn’t post my whole comment sorry! Meant to say that probably speaks to the different ways our brains work and how good it is to have several genres to choose from. One of my favorite authors is Naomi Novik (a fantasy writer), especially Uprooted and her Scholomance series. She is a stunningly beautiful writer and those books especially are really suited for the fall/winter season in my opinion.
I totally agree with you. And those you mentioned are also some of my favorites! Adding Lobizona by Romina Garber, Martha Wells Robot series, and The Golem and the Jinni to the list of fantasy!
The Murderbot series by Martha Wells is incredibly good! Don’t let the name “Murderbot” scare you off this one.
I second this recommendation. Fantastic series!
Thank you, Anne. I came from a very conservative and traditional background where reading fiction wasn’t in the cards for me. That might have had something to do with it. Thanks for these recommendations. I will check them out!
Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series is what got me started with her. Peter Jackson is rumored to own the film rights to that one. It’s SO good, but readers should know going into her stuff that her books don’t shy away from horror at times. This one is a retelling of the Napoleonic Wars but with dragons making up the air force for both sides. SO good.
This is great, Shannan! I’ve been a fantasy reader for a long time and haven’t heard of some of these, so consider my TBR longer now. Another recent cozy fantasy I enjoyed was Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. Now if I could only get myself into some more sci-fi (though I am excited for the next Murderbot installment!)…
Stardust is amazing! You must read it! It’s my favorite Neil Gaiman. It feels more hopefully fairytale than the rest of his work. I also highly recommend the short story The Sleeper and The Spindle by him. Both of these are fantastic on audio!
Noted, Kate. STARDUST is on hold at my local library. Thanks for commenting.
Also, there is the gorgeous movie adaptation of Stardust. Stars Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer. It’s amazing!!
I didn’t know about the sequel to The Space Between Worlds. Thanks Shannan!
Oh wow, this is my genre!!! Love the Ursula K LeGuinn quote. That is absolutely why I love these stories (and of course for the escape :). A few of the easier-to-get-into sci-fi/fantasy stories people who are new to this genre seem to enjoy: House by the Cerulean Sea by TK Klune (found family! romance! so much joy!), the Murderbot Series by Martha G Wells (curmudgeonly robot exploring what freedom and being a person means in a series of novellas) and much of Silvia Moreno Garcia’s work (including the brand new short story that is current FREE for Amazon Prime members: The Lover, and Gods of Jade and Shadow). I could go on. I won’t. What fun!
LOL Sarah! Thanks for sharing about Silvia Moreno Garcia’s short worry. I’m going to have find it and read it. I haven’t delved into her work yet. I absolutely LOVE TJ Klune’s HOUSE ON THE CERULEAN SEA! Thanks for sharing.
Shannan, this essay (post) is *great.* I’ve dabbled in fantasy, and have generally lucked out with rewarding choices. However, at the moment I am bulling my way through book one of a major bestselling fantasy series, and to be honest, reading it is a jaw-clenching chore. You have given me license to DNF it and try others. Life is too short. Again, thank you.
I love when we read the right book—or in this case—right blog post—at the right time! So glad Shannan’s words caught you right when you needed them.
So glad to hear it Amy!
Thanks for calling out Becky Chambers. Here are some other incredible and gentle series in a wide range: GhostTalker by Mary Robinette Kowal reframes WWI with mediums who talk to the soldier ghosts leaving the battlefield. Shards of Glass by Kenneth Baldwin is another historical fantasy with WWI pilots battling magic. Want less magic and more world building? The Tales of Zren Janin series by ML Dunker is set in the South Pacific and follows the adventures of a group of children as they are embroiled in the politics of their countries and searching for a life of their own. A futuristic world is the setting for Jami Fairleigh’s The Elemental Artist series in which Art has the ability to physically create and therefore is a highly coveted skill. Want to add a dash of romance? Try Margaret Rogerson’s Sorcery of Thorns in which the books in the library are sentient and Librarians are quite the warriors to keep them under control.
Also by Mary Robinette Kowal, I recommend her Lady Astronaut series. It’s alternate history and the premise is: it’s the 1960’s space race but events are accelerated because a meteor has hit Earth’s US East Coast and it causes devastation and climate change. The need to colonize elsewhere means you urgently need both men and women in the space program. It’s very grounded in reality, deals with mental health (maybe look up some trigger warnings if mental health struggles are difficult for you), but is a great “what if” story.
There are no aliens or magic in these stories, just an alternate timeline, so might be good if you’re interested in history and just want to barely dip your toe in the water of sci fi.
Ooh, this sounds interesting Austin. Will give this a look.
Hi Austin.
Have you watched “For All Mankind” on Apple+? It is about an alternate history of the space race, and season 1 is about women being allowed into the program. I’ve really enjoyed the episodes that I have seen so far.
cg
I recommend “The Philosopher’s Flight” (2018) and its sequel “The Philosopher’s War” (2019), by Tom Miller, to those who liked Mary Robinette Kowal’s Ghost Talkers.
I grew up on Robert Heinlein SF novels, and still have most of them. And I have recently discovered Mary Doria Russell’s two SF novels “The Sparrow” and the sequel “Children of God.”
Yes, yes, yes to “The Sparrow”! Such a great read, especially for folks who typically like historical fiction, because of the church/religion element. Exploring the space where religion intersects with science in the future is so very thought-provoking. Highly recommend it.
What a great article Shannan. Thank you! I have often felt SFF to be so far out of my normal reading realm that I rarely touch it. I really like your tips and look forward to branching out a bit more now.
I read the Dragonriders series when I was a teen/young adult and really liked it. I was also a huge Star Trek fan (original series, yes I’m old). I haven’t read much SFF since. I do like Alix E. Harrow’s books and Ten Thousand Doors of January is a favorite. I agree about Becky Chambers; one of my friends referred to her as “Intro SF” and that really worked for me. I don’t think SFF will ever be a top genre but I do like dabbling a bit. Thanks for the list.
I am not a SFF reader, but this post is tempting me. Shannon, this is a perfect guide for navigating uncharted literary waters. Thank you so much for explaining it to novices like me.
Happy to help, Allyson!
I would not consider myself much of a SFF reader but man, did I cruise through all the Murderbot books and am eagerly awaiting the next release!
I’m not a big SFF reader either, but The Golem and the Jinni and Project Hail Mary have been two of my favorite reads. Thanks for the other recommendations, Shannon!
For readers of Historical Fiction, I’d also recommend Connie Willis’s “To Say Nothing of the Dog” if you want a light hearted Victorian romp, or if you’re in the mood for something more serious “Doomsday Book” (bubonic plague in the middle ages, a different illness in the ‘modern’ setting) or “Blackout”/”All Clear” (WW2).
For those who prefer more of a modern workplace setting, “Bellwether” is another good book of hers that’s light Sci Fi. Connie Willis has won so many awards for her Sci Fi writing but I feel like she’s often overlooked
Ooh yes Connie Willis is excellent. I was reading The Doomsday Book in March of 2020… yikes, that was tough timing, although the book itself was excellent.
Last year I read “To Say Nothing of the Dog,” and it feels very similar to “Three Men in a Boat” and other slapstick Victorian comedy (just with light time travel haha).
I’m not a regular SFF reader, but “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury feels like it would fit this list perfectly. I reread this book last October after reading it the first time probably in high school, and I immediately thrust it into the hands of my teenage son upon completion. Bradbury creates an amazingly spooky & weird October carnival world that is perfect for this time of year, but there is also a wistful & loving exploration of father/son relationships, which I absolutely didn’t remember from reading the book as a teenager myself. Highly recommend!
I read a lot of sci fi and fantasy as a teen and young adult, but abandoned it somewhere along the way. When I would try to dip back in (Ender’s Game, a Curse So Dark and Lonely are two good examples), they felt too juvenile. So I abandoned SFF. But then I read Addie LaRue (swoon). Oh, I loved that book. And a few months ago, I picked up A Darker Shade of Magic by the same author, VE Schwab. I inhaled it! This is what I want my fantasy like! I now have all 3 of the first series … and I’m visiting Nashville specifically to see Victoria Schwab and get the latest one! So it really is just a matter of finding the right author. I’d love more recs similar to these.
I don’t read a lot from SSF but I absolutely love V E Schwab’s books. Thanks Shannan for putting together this list. Hopefully I will find some new treasures from it.
SFF has much to teach us! It opens your MIND to new things, it looks at things differently, through the window of other worlds, you can see things about your own world and how it needs to change, or how things could be! It’s like “look outside the box”. It was science fiction that first showed that people could live without prejudice, and that women could be equal to men, that mankind (and “other” species) could work together. (Star Trek, here’s looking at you). And all the “What if”‘s! What if we could go back in time, what if we could live several lives, what if we met an alien, what if??
[INSERT HEART EMOJI]
Suzy! So, so true! I think Terry Pratchett does that (using the fantasy setting to analyse our society) very well in his Discworld series. Humorous and satisfyingly plotty at the same time. Also his juvenile fiction Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky.
Sir Terry Pratchett (RIP) is a MUST for fantasy, satire, and highly fun and intelligent reads. They joke that his books are the most likely to be stolen in Great Britain, but there’s probably real truth to that. SO SO SO good. The stories are on a planet he invented, the Discworld. The Tiffany Aching series is one of my daughter’s favorites (it’s Y to YA). He moves familiar characters into their own and other characters’ story arcs with great wit.
Have you read Brandon Sanderson?
I don’t know if Shannan has, but I just wanted to say I started Brandon Sanderson this year myself and have had the BEST time with his books!
No, Donna. Is he good for beginners?
Yes and no. I would recommend the following for beginners: skyward series, Tess and the emerald sea, warbreaker , and emperor’s soul (novella). I would not recommend mistborn or the stormlight for a beginner. Happy reading!
SFF has always been my favorite, and I’m actually trying to go back and read the books and series that I was too young for and/or missed over the years. I haven’t touched as much new SFF, but I adored The Space Between Worlds!
Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. Second those who recommended Anne McCaffrey have read and own them ALL. Also everything by Katherine Kurtz, Elizabeth Moon, Tom Deitz and have read most of Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series.
What a great article! I have been a SFF lover since I read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle many, many years ago.
Big SFF fan over here! I think one of the easiest ways to try out science fiction and fantasy is a story based on a world like ours, just a little bit different. Recommendations include “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin, “A Master of Djinn” by P. Djeli Clark, “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” by Emma Torsz, and “Her Majesty’s Royal Coven” by Juno Dawson. If someone is interested in a lighter read with fun plots and not-complicated magic system, try the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman!
I loved 11/22/63! Also the miniseries. One of my favorite SFF series is the Bright Empires series by Stephen R Lawhead. Ley lines enable characters to time travel to ultimately repair an ancient blunder that is causing the current world to begin to unravel.
I’ve been reading SF and fantasy for a long time, but my favorite of all times is the trilogy of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin, which is why I was surprised that after quoting her, you didn’t mention any of her books. Those are books that can give/teach you something about the world and also yourself. Another “oldie”, fun and quite revealing: the dancers at the end of time by Michael Moorcock. In more recent books, road to Roswell -thanks WSIRN- was great fun. Then there’s Nexus by Ramez Naam. And by Andy Weir, Artemis might be easier for a beginner. Enjoy them all (these and others!).
I didn’t mention her books because I haven’t read any. Lol I have tried but they were required more energy than I had to give at the time. Lol
Oh! so sad! Do let me insist: A wizard of Earthsea is supposed to be YA, it actually is, but with many levels, and the third book (the second too) is even better. And individually they are quite short short…
And there are dragons!😊
The books that eased me into liking (and now loving) science fiction were The Martian by Andy Weir, Providence by Max Barry, and Becky Chambers’s The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (on audio). For fantasy, the books that helped me love this genre were Sunshine by Robin McKinley and the Game of Thrones series.
Shannan I love your list, I see many favorites. I’m so happy to hear there is a sequel coming to the Space Between Worlds.
I am a fan of Karen Lord, The Best of all Possible Worlds, and there are 2 sequels. It’s about various cultures learning to live together, and is more character-driven than plot driven.
I also really enjoy Ann Leckie and her ancillary series, 3 books that start with Ancillary Justice. It’s a lot of politics, but very fun.
Thanks for this post, Shannan. I’m not a big reader in either genre, but like to branch out from time to time, so it’s nice to have recs. I also loved Becky Chambers and have Legends and Lattes on my list (it seems like that would be a great fall book).
Suzy! So, so true! I think Terry Pratchett does that (using the fantasy setting to analyse our society) very well in his Discworld series. Humorous and satisfyingly plotty at the same time. Also his juvenile fiction Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky.
I LOVE this post Shannan, thank you so much! I’ve never been into SFF but want to be :). I tend to enjoy magical realism and did really like Addie LaRue. It was affirming for me to read that you’ve DNF’d all of Neil Gaiman’s books. I could NOT get into The Ocean At The End of The Lane. However, I’ve requested Stardust from my library to give that a try. There are so many great suggestions here to dip into SFF as one not well versed in those genres. Thank you again!!
You are most welcome Sue! I have STARDUST on my TBR and am just waiting for it to come in at my library.
What a great post, Shannan. I have never broken down SFF into its two components though I lean way more towards fantasy than scifi. Addie LaRue is one of my favorite books and I look forward to delving into this list more this winter. Thank you so much! And especially for owning up to DNF. I have a list on my Library Account called “Bailed” of DNFs and there is a hefty dose of scifi on it for the same reasons you list above.
Anna, I loved the title “Bailed”. Thanks for sharing.
Modern stuff is very good. Just like the romance genre, it has become less rapey, less misogynistic, and more vibrant.
For science fiction: Murderbot by Martha Wells
For fantasy: The schoolmance series by Naomi Novak
Lots of people also like John Scalzi books as a gateway.
I recently started reading short stories by Polish author Stanislaw Lem, widely considered SciFi classics. His thoughts on technology, artificial intelligence and human nature are still surprisingly relevant. The only annoying thing is that I have yet to encounter a female character.
I love Lem’s Solaris.
There is also a movie based on that book, by Tarkovsky. If you like foreign film – check it out. (There was a Hollywood remake, too).
It might also be worth exploring the winners of the Hugo (voted on by fans – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel) and Nebula (voted on by writers – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_Award_for_Best_Novel) Awards. Not all of the winning novels will be to your taste, but there are many fantastic reads there. And the linked lists include the other nominees. It might be worth looking at the more modern winners. Some of my favorite winners are:
– Babel by R. F. Kuang
– A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
– All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
– Red Shirts by John Scalzi
– Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
– Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
– Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
– The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Enjoy!
I know I’m a little late to the party here, but I’ve got to recommend anything by Orson Scott Card. His most recognized series is Ender’s Game, but he’s also written several wonderful fantasy books as well. One of my favorites is Enchantment. It’s a sleeping beauty retelling.
Such a great article! I am not new to SFF at all but it’s not my go to genre. My advice is just don’t start with Dune 😂. There are so many titles here I have never heard of and can’t wait to try out. Thanks Shannon!
I’m in the middle of the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman and am loving it. Action, not too heavy, and great characters.