Let’s pop on our helmets and climb into our rocket because we are headed to space. These five underrated backlist titles are all set amongst the stars. Advanced tech? Check. Traversing the galaxy? Check. Unicorns? Uh, what???
Nigerians in Space by Deji Bryce Olukotun (The Unnamed Press, 2014)
This genre-bender is more thriller than science fiction, but it’s just surreal enough to count. It does such a good job of taking an SF premise—a Nigerian scientist steals a piece of the moon and witnesses a murder, then, years later, his son invents a new technology inspired by the moon—and using that as a launching pad (pun intended) to talk about colonialism, brain drain, and who has access to science and technology.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard (JABberwocky Literary Agency, 2017)
Aliette de Bodard can do no wrong, as far as I’m concerned. This novella is the third in her Universe of Xuya series where Asia won the space race and the galaxy runs on Vietnamese and Chinese culture and traditions. You get a teleporting citadel, a time-traveling engineer, a mind-ship who longs for her mother’s love, and because it’s de Bodard, a queer romance at the heart of it all.
Space Unicorn Blues by T.J. Berry (Angry Robot, 2018)
The first book in a funny but bizarre duology blends fantasy and science fiction in an intriguing way. Faster-than-light travel is powered by unicorn horns, and Gary Cobalt, half-unicorn and half-human, wants to save what’s left of his. Technically the magical creatures are actually aliens, and the spaceship Gary plans to escape on is semi-sentient. And even better, just about everyone is queer.
A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna (Sky Pony, 2018)
Ready for a young adult retelling of the Mahābhārata set in space? An epic space opera with all the teen melodrama, messy romances, petty gods, and court intrigue you could want. Esmae enters a competition to win a sentient spaceship as a way to help her brother win back the crown of Kali after it was taken from him by their usurping uncle. Frankly, I’m surprised no streamer has adapted this into a TV show yet, it’s that wild.
Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor (Scholastic Press, 2019)
You cannot convince me that in the future, space will be populated by mostly cisallohets. You just can’t. So let’s add in one more YA for my fellow queers. Ana has a clockwork heart. Nathaniel has a chip on his shoulder. Ana, who calls herself the Technician, uses black market tech to help the oppressed. Nathaniel, whose father is the one doing the oppressing, needs to capture her to earn his trust. There’s so little YA SF nowadays, and even less YA space opera, so we must celebrate the few traditional publishing has allowed us to have.
Alex Brown is a Hugo-nominated and Ignyte award-winning critic who writes about speculative fiction, librarianship, and Black history. Find them on twitter (@QueenOfRats), bluesky (@bookjockeyalex), instagram (@bookjockeyalex), and their blog (bookjockeyalex.com).
