Guest Post: 5 Amazing Sci-Fi Books to Read Before the End of Summer

Today we have a guest post by fellow freelance writer, Caroline, and she has some cool book recommendations for us! Enjoy the post! :) xoxo Leah

5 Amazing Sci-Fi Books to Read Before the End of Summer

This year is shaping up to be one of those meteoric years for science fiction and fantasy. Looking at release of books from some of my favorite authors to new discoveries all together, it’s a great time be a science fiction and fantasy book lover.

So if you’re looking for something to binge read in the last days of summer, check out these five must-read titles that belong at the top of your reading pile.

All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

From the editor in chief of io9 comes a great speculative science fiction novel that begins with a close relationship between two childhood friends that ends in mystery and a reconnection from two different doctrines that could save the world.

When friends Patricia Delfine, a graduate of a hidden school for the magically gifted, and Laurence Armstead, an engineer genius working on combatting catastrophic meltdown, reconnect in San Francisco, it’s more than a reunion. It’s about putting at bay an impending apocalypse. Perfect for fans of a little magic, a little sci-fi and a lot of mystery, All The Birds In The Sky is a tale of love, magic, science and everything in-between.

Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh

Fans of The Maze Runner will fall in love with this debut novel from Hugo Award winner Will McIntosh as it takes an underdog tale and pushes it to the extreme in a YA novel that’s built for 2016. When spheres show up and start making everyone cooler, smarter and more talented, it’s a race to buy and sell.

Sully is a small-time sphere dealer who makes ends meet by setting up shop at a local flea market. Yet his life changes when he meets Hunter and they discover the sphere of a lifetime. When money and power come in to threaten all that the pair hold dear, it’s at the make or break point not just for Sully and Hunter, but for the entire world. Sci-fi adrenaline junkies, this delightful novel definitely belongs on your next binge list.

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Fans of V.E. Schwab’s magical worlds in A Darker Shade of Magic will rejoice to find that A Gathering of Shadows, the much-anticipated sequel, brings readers back into the fold just months after the last book ends.

A tournament is forming in Red London. Old menaces are returning in Black London. Kell, Lila Bard and Rhys are mired in the middle of the intrigue, competition and fight to shape their own lives by their own decisions. Unlike A Darker Shade of Magic, Gathering Shadows takes the time to really invest in the development of its main characters. Any fans of Kell and Lila will instantly be immersed in the depth of this novel.

Arkwright by Allen Steele

Hardcore Allen Steele fans will immediately fall for this epic of a novel. It centers around Nathan Arkwright, a seminal author of the twentieth century whose obsession with a dying Earth in his later years led to a reclusive existence away from his fans to focus on his true legacy. Yet this legacy was one outside of his literary work.

Many years later, the Arkwright Foundation is convinced that life on Earth is over and a colony on an Earth-like planet many light years away is humanity’s greatest hope for survival. For Arkwright’s descendants, it’s difficult coming to terms with what must be done to save humanity. This is a book for fans of mindbenders such as Nolan’s Inception (currently streaming on American Netflix). The strong characters, mystery and infinite intrigue make Arkwright one of Steele’s strongest works and a heavy contender for best sci-fi book of 2016.

Central Station by Lavie Tidhar

Based half on Earth and half in Space, Central Station revolves around an interplanetary hub of the same name that connects humans to their old world and the new one they’ve fled to after a diaspora away from the ravages of war and poverty. Intertwined with alien beings called “The Others,” the human race is at a point of fusion between what is real and what is virtual. Tel Aviv native Boris Chong is in the middle of it all.

Throw in intelligent machines, cheap data and a diminishing way of life, and you’ve arrived at a science fiction novel that will redefine the boundaries of the genre. This is gripping story of a human and synthetic world that is not only thriving, but evolving.

If you have books like these, you won’t be able to help squeezing in a couple of more beach days to make sure you’re all caught up before fall. So sit back, relax and grab a great sci-fi novel from the shelf.

Do you have any books you’d like to add to this list? Have you read any of the books listed above? If so, do tell us what you think by leaving a comment below!

About the Author: Caroline is a digital nomad who splits her time between writing and reading through her personal library. Great storytelling is her weakness, and she’s made it a personal quest to spread as much of the written (and spoken) word with the world as she can.