Sci-fi/Fantasy for Beginners Archives

Legends & Lattes

by Travis Baldree

What’s an orc to do after they retire from the mercenary life? Why, open up the very first coffee shop in Thune, of course. Viv is ready for a fresh start but she’s going to need help from new friends, whether that’s introducing people to coffee for the first time or handling rivals. This is high fantasy with low stakes and an interesting combination of fantastical characters with coffee shops, cinnamon rolls, and lattes, making for a cozy read.

These Violent Delights

by Chloe Gong

This retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1926 Shanghai was one of THE books of the year when it was published in 2020. The story is familiar: star-crossed lovers and rival factions, in this case two gangs fighting for supremacy. What is different? The monster in the Huangpo River. This is the first in a series so if you like it, keep going with Our Violent Ends.

Wonder

by Christina C. Jones

If you’re a fan of romance, this dystopian retelling of Alice in Wonderland might be a way to dip your toe into the fantasy genre and comes recommended by team member Leigh. Aly always does the right thing. She keeps to herself and never looks for trouble. But trouble finds her when she follows a rabbit into a wrecked world and meets Maddox.

The Space Between Worlds

by Micaiah Johnson

Johnson uses fantasy as commentary on many aspects of our lives, specifically belonging and identity, in this story about a multiverse where you can visit another universe, as long as your counterpart is dead in that one. That’s what Cara has been plucked from poverty to do, until she travels to a world where her counterpart isn’t! What she learns may destroy not just her life, and her home world but the multiverse.

Light From Uncommon Stars

by Ryka Aoki

Shannan says: "This novel has everything in it and I do mean everything. A higher intelligence is hiding from a galactic war that Earth is blissfully unaware of. That’s the sci-fi. A violin instructor has been selling the souls of her prodigy students to the devil to escape hell. That’s the fantasy. There is violin making, donut making, and the making of a transgender runaway into the violinist she was born to be. It took me a while to get into this, not because I wasn’t sure what was happening, but because of the multiple storylines. But they all come together in the end and Aoki’s writing is masterful."

Stardust

by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is widely regarded as one of the best SFF writers of all time and yet, I have DNF’d everything I have tried to read by him. Team member Sara has assured me that this novella (less than 250 pages) is the one for me. A love story about Tristran, who will do anything for Victoria, including fetching a fallen star. While on this particular quest he discovers that nothing is what he thought it was, including the fallen star. I listened to this one on audio: Gaiman's a terrific narrator. (But this is NOT a book for young audiences; think of it as YA at least.)

Ring Shout

by P. Djèlí Clark

When Beth recommended this in a Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club discussion thread, my husband Will happened to be logged in and added it to his TBR right away. The horror genre isn't my jam, but when Beth compared this to Sarah Gailey and Ralph Ellison, it piqued my interest, too. Described as "dark historical fantasy," this novella takes place in Prohibition Georgia, where the Ku Klux Klan members literally become demons after watching The Birth of a Nation. Bootlegger Maryse Boudreaux and a motley crew of fighters set out to save the world from this hellish nightmare come to life.

Mr. Death

by Alix E. Harrow

Shannan says: "I adored this short story about an agent of the Department of Death who has to decide whether he should reap the soul of a 2-year-old boy. Harrow kept me in suspense until the end, which left me feeling oh so very happy. I never felt lost. It’s an excellent selection to begin your foray into the fantasy genre."

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Sci-fi/Fantasy for Beginners