Welcome to the University of Texas Libraries' Science Fiction Guide! The UT Libraries has a sizeable collection of science fiction materials, both for leisure reading and research inquiry.
"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
Arthur C. Clarke
About the Collection
The UT Libraries Science Fiction collection has been built intentionally since the 1970s, when Harold W. Billings, the director of the Libraries from 1972-2003, personally curated and donated science fiction novels for the Perry-Castañeda Library. We continue to build the collection with:
Image courtesy of Creative CommonsThis guide aims to assist University of Texas students, faculty, and staff in identifying and accessing books, journals, and electronic materials that treat science fiction/speculative fiction literature and film as objects of serious study. The widespread acceptance of science fiction literature and film as rich areas for academic research has spurred the creation of many specialized print and online resources for literary theorists, cultural historians, film scholars, and others.
In this research guide for science fiction, you will find:
Questions? Contact Gina Bastone, the English Librarian: g.bastone@austin.utexas.edu
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Alien Stories by
"A vital voice in the short story, telling us new truths with deep humanity." -George Saunders Celebrated Nigerian-born writer E.C. Osondu delivers a short-story collection of nimble dexterity and startling originality in his BOA Short Fiction Prize-winningAlien Stories. These eighteen startling stories, each centered around an encounter with the unexpected, explore what it means to be an alien. With a nod to the dual meaning ofalien as both foreigner and extraterrestrial, Osondu turns familiar science-fiction tropes and immigration narratives on their heads, blending one with the other to call forth a whirlwind of otherness. With wry observations about society and human nature, in shifting landscapes from Africa to America to outer space and back again,Alien Stories breaks down the concept of foreignness to reveal what unites us all as 'aliens' within a complex and interconnected universe.
Exhalation by
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Exhalation by Ted Chiang is a collection of short stories that will make you think, grapple with big questions, and feel more human. The best kind of science fiction." --Barack Obama From the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Others--the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film Arrival; a groundbreaking new collection of short fiction. "THE UNIVERSE BEGAN AS AN ENORMOUS BREATH BEING HELD." In these nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity's oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine. In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and second chances. In "Exhalation," an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom," the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will. Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work, Exhalation is Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic--revelatory.
Harrow the Ninth by
"Unlike anything I've ever read. Muir's writing is as sharp as a broken tooth, and just as unsettling." --V.E. Schwab on Gideon the Ninth"Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original." --The New York Times on Gideon the NinthShe answered the Emperor's call.She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.In victory, her world has turned to ash.After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders. Harrowhark's health is failing, her magic refuses to cooperate, her sword makes her throw up, and even her mind threatens to betray her. What's worse, someone is trying to kill her. And she has to wonder: if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
A History of What Comes Next by
"A History of What Comes Next is a riveting blend of historical thriller and scientific speculation, which never loses its core of humanity."--James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author For generations, Mia's family has shaped human history to push them to the stars. The year is 1945 and now it is her turn. Her mission: to lure scientist Wernher Von Braun away from the Nazi party and into the American rocket program, securing the future of the space race. But there is a threat. A ruthless enemy lurks behind the scenes. Sylvain Neuvel's genre-bending sci-fi thriller is a dark and gripping exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence, as seen through the eyes of the women who make that progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them. Always run, never fight. Preserve the knowledge. Survive at all costs. Take them to the stars.
Network Effect by
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling Murderbot series exploded onto the scene in 2017, and the world has not been the same, since. The series has grown with every release, with book #2 debuting at 95 on the USA Today Bestseller List, #3 at 77, and #4 at 48. A quarter of a million copies later, Murderbot is back in its highly-anticipated, first, full-length standalone novel. Network Effect offers an opportunity like never before for bookstore readers to dive into the series.You know that feeling when you're at work, and you've had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you're a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you're Murderbot. Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you'll read this century.-- I'm usually alone in my head, and that's where 90 plus percent of my problems are.When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action. Drastic action it is, then.
Project Hail Mary by
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of The Martian, a lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this "propulsive" (Entertainment Weekly), cinematic thriller full of suspense, humor, and fascinating science--in development as a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling. HUGO AWARD FINALIST * ONE OF THE YEAR'S BEST BOOKS: Bill Gates, GatesNotes, New York Public Library, Parade, Newsweek, Polygon, Shelf Awareness, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal * "An epic story of redemption, discovery and cool speculative sci-fi."--USA Today "If you loved The Martian, you'll go crazy for Weir's latest."--The Washington Post Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission--and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery--and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone. Or does he? An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian--while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by
In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk & Robot series gives us hope for the future.It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.They're going to need to ask it a lot.Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
Remote Control by
"She's the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. Beware of her. Mind her. Death guards her like one of its own." The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From here on in she would be known as Sankofa--a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past. Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks--alone, except for her fox companion--searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers. But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?
Winter's Orbit by
A Sunday Times Bestseller! A 2022 Alex Award Winner! "Sparks fly" (NPR) in Everina Maxwell's gut-wrenching and romantic space opera debut. Prince Kiem, a famously disappointing minor royal and the Emperor's least favorite grandchild, has been called upon to be useful for once. He's commanded to fulfill an obligation of marriage to the representative of the Empire's newest and most rebellious vassal planet. His future husband, Count Jainan, is a widower and murder suspect. Neither wants to be wed, but with a conspiracy unfolding around them and the fate of the empire at stake they will have to navigate the thorns and barbs of court intrigue, the machinations of war, and the long shadows of Jainan's past, and they'll have to do it together. So begins a legendary love story amid the stars. Like Ancillary Justice meets Red, White and Royal Blue, Winter's Orbit is perfect for fans of Lois McMaster Bujold. "High-pitched noises escaped me; I shouted, more than once, 'Now kiss!' ... in a world so relentlessly uncertain, there's a powerfully simple pleasure in the experience of a promise kept." --The New York Times Book Review
This guide would not be possible without the work of several graduate students in Library Science programs.
Katy Tuck made additions in 2020. Audrey Manchester updated the Foreign Languages page in 2021. Carol Pettijohn updated and created content for the Finding Books and Diversity in Science Fiction pages in 2023.
Questions?
Contact Gina Bastone, English Librarian:
g.bastone@austin.utexas.edu
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.