Time Travel Romance and Haunted TV Channels: October’s Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy
It being spooky season, there’s some undeniable horror crossover in these books: haunted dolls, angels that drive you mad, impossible pregnancies as invasive body horror, a nostalgic television dimension that may trap you forever. But there’s also the paradoxes of
As the eerie season approaches, October brings forth an abundance of captivating science fiction and fantasy novels from various talented authors. From time-traveling romances to haunted television dimensions, these stories will transport readers to extraordinary realms.
In Audrey Niffenegger's "Life Out of Order," the sequel to her beloved "The Time Traveler's Wife," we follow Clare and Henry's daughter Alba, along with her two husbands - Oliver, a time traveler like them, and Zach, who exists in linear time. As Alba navigates her complex relationships and carries the burden of future knowledge, the novel delves into a dystopian present and a disturbing far-future.
Samantha Josephs' debut novel, "Carrying," takes readers on a harrowing journey of trans body horror. Martha, a seemingly perfect housewife, begins to struggle with the strain of maintaining impeccable femininity as a stealth transgender woman. As her inexplicable illness takes hold, leading to an impossible pregnancy, Martha finds solace in connecting with others who have endured similar experiences.
Annalee Newitz's "A Wall is Also a Road" offers a fresh perspective through a non-human protagonist. Gardenpath, a genderless slime mold graduate student, embarks on a dissertation about multicellular life while living in ancient Pompeii. The novel showcases Gardenpath's bond with Murtis, a sex worker, as they warn her about the impending eruption of Vesuvius while gathering research to satisfy their corrupt professor.
Claire North's "As We Fall Through Time" explores the consequences of time travel on soulmates and historical events. Cal meets Olivier, a soldier during the Napoleonic Wars, and creates a paradox to keep him alive on the battlefield. However, Olivier mysteriously disappears from the timeline, and Cal's colleague Fadimatu encounters her own mummified corpse in a museum in 2018. The novel delves into the complexities of time travel and its impact on personal relationships.
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