This content originally appeared on Go Make Things and was authored by Go Make Things
I’m a big fan of science-fiction. The scope. The scale. The possibilities of the future.
For years, I enjoyed sci-fi that had a dystopian angle to it. Shows and books like Altered Carbon and The Expanse and West World provided cautionary tales for capitalism unchecked and the potential of technology to exploit rather than unleash.
But today, that feels less like escapism and more like current reality.
Last year, I started looking for more hopeful media that portrayed a future worth fighting for rather than one to avoid.
I started with Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and when I finished, my friend Ben Myers suggested I read literally anything by Becky Chambers.
I started with her Monk & Robot series, immediately jumped into the The Wayfarer series after that, and read more books in a few months than I’d read in the several years prior.
After that—again at Ben’s recommendation—I tore through the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.
Along the way, I noticed something about sci-fi books written by women versus those written by men.
I’m painting in broad strokes here, so this is by no means a universal truth, but…
Female sci-fi writers seem to explore a range of topics that I almost never see men in the genre approach.
Most of sci-fi that I’ve previously consumed is really focused on big history-of-the-universe-changing events and outside threats.
By contrast, both Martha Wells and Becky Chambers seem a lot more interested in exploring topics like…
- Peoples inner worlds during times of transition.
- The interpersonal struggles that arise when diverse groups of people with conflicting interests are thrust together.
- The interplay between the inner and interpersonal.
Both types of writing are interesting, but the latter is so wildly underrepresented, and it feels incredibly refreshing.
And honestly, given the state of the world right now, the more traditional type of sci-fi writing just causes me anxiety, while this more introspective approach is so soothing, and brings me some measure of comfort.
Big, epic sci-fi will always have a place, and I’ll continue to enjoy that, too. But I really hope more authors embrace explorations of the mundane.
Until then, I think I’m going to end up re-reading all of Becky Chambers books next until I figure out my next series.
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This content originally appeared on Go Make Things and was authored by Go Make Things
Go Make Things | Sciencx (2025-08-02T14:30:00+00:00) New Sci-Fi. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/08/02/new-sci-fi/
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