Sci-fi and fantasy are already awesome genres of fiction, but do you know what’s even more awesome? When you realize the cool book you’ve been reading was written by someone from your own community. Supporting one of these writers we’ve listed is supporting your community, so why not check out some of the recommendations we’ve listed? Here are a handful of riveting science fiction and fantasy novels written by fellow Canadians.
Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer
Robert J. Sawyer is one of Canada’s most-renowned sci-fi writers. In his book Flashforward, all seven billion people black out for two minutes and seventeen seconds, leading to a series of disastrous accidents as the people experience visions of the future. After the event, the fabric of society can never be the same again.
Neuromancer by William Ford Gibson
William Ford Gibson is cited as the “father of cyberpunk,” a subgenre of science fiction. His novel Neuromancer follows a former data thief, who once worked in the Matrix before his ex-employer damaged his nervous system. He accepts a new job for a new employer, going head-to-head with a powerful artificial intelligence, with a mirror-eyed street-fighting girl by his side.
Airborn (Matt Cruse #1) by Kenneth Oppel
Matt Cruse, a cabin boy on an airship that moves wealthy passengers across the ocean, meets a dying balloonist and his granddaughter, who open him up to an adventure full of meetings with beautiful and fascinating never-before-seen creatures living in the skies.
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid’s Tale #1) by Margaret Atwood
What list of best sci-fi and fantasy novels by Canadian authors would be complete without Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale? A revered and cutting satire, The Handmaid’s Tale follows Offred, who lives in the dystopian land of the Republic of Gilead, where women with “viable ovaries” are forced to offer their bodies for the purpose of reducing declining birth rates.
Begin Anew (The New Day #1) by Richard Brant
In this tale of love and hope, genetically engineered children, Cassiopeia and Caesar, team up with an Artificially Intelligent Computer, an Admiral’s daughter, and an elder from a targeted alien race to shift the balance of power on a ravaged, post-war Earth and help the human race “rise from its ashes.”
Beholder’s Eye (Web Shifters #1) by Julie E. Czerneda
The survivors of a shapeshifting race of beings that communicate through energy cling to survival and evade the Enemy who threatens their existence—but all their efforts might be in vain when a young member of the species is captured on a foreign planet she was tasked to explore, where her escape might depend on trusting a human being imprisoned with her.
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
Sorceress, Beatrice Clayborn, is gripped by the fear of entering “Bargaining Season” and possibly being forced into a marital collar that prevents her from practicing witchcraft, for the safety of her unborn children. But crisis puts her into the sights of a rival’s handsome and empathetic brother—and suddenly Beatrice is tangled between her desire to fulfill her dreams of being a great sorceress and being with the love of her life.
Blood Price (Victory Nelson’s Blood Investigations #1) by Tanya Huff
PI Vicki Nelson comes across a bloody scene that ties back to a mass murderer with an “inhuman appetite for mayhem and destruction.” It seems like there may be no way to stand up to such a formidable and violent criminal, until Vicki pairs up with a 500-year-old vampire, who also happens to be the illegitimate son of Henry VIII.
Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
Henry Whelp happens to be the son of the Big Bad Wolf that killed Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, and everyone assumes he will follow in his father’s criminal footsteps. He stays out of trouble in Dust City, where the population of animals is dependant on a mind-altering fairydust, until a murder has him running—and along the way, he has reason to suspect his father is innocent and fairydust is more sinister than it appears.
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Casiopea Tun finds a strange wooden box in her rich grandfather’s room and opening it frees the Mayan god of death, who asks for help reclaiming his throne from his sneaky brother. Casiopea agrees to help the charming god, convinced the adventure, which takes them across Mexico to the Mayan underworld, is her ticket to leaving her grandfather’s house forever.
Luke Miles | Staff Writer
